Throughout the culinary kingdom, there are many foods that pair famously well, salt and pepper being perhaps the most iconic. These two grace almost every dish, every recipe, every table, and every condiment bar that you've ever been to. But why?

Don't get me wrong, black pepper has its place - I love a fillet au poivre, black pepper vodka, and of course crunchy black pepper potato chips - but there are other, less frequently used peppercorns, and you should know about them. There's a whole world of chromatically diverse flavour out there, and you should be tasting that peppery rainbow.

Until recently, I never measured freshly ground pepper. If a recipe called for half a teaspoon, I would simply grind the berries over the dish until I thought I had "enough", based on nothing but my nose and how pungent I was feeling that day, because there was no elegant way to measure it by teaspoon from the grinder. But, if you take the time to do some measuring just once, you'll be able to dispense the amount needed in any recipe, no measuring spoon required.

KFC's "secret" chicken recipe is now common knowledge, and the culinary world will never be the same. Among the 11 herbs and spices listed stands the sometimes maligned white pepper, a pale, citrusy berry that adds funky flavour to chicken (and everything else it touches).

Cacio e pepe (meaning "cheese and pepper") is the simplest of dishes where pasta is tossed with Pecorino Romano, pepper and good olive oil, but there's no reason pasta should have all the fun. By treating croutons with these delicious ingredients, you get a salad that feels more substantial and tastes a bit more decadent.