Piper nigrum

The history of the spice trade is essentially the quest for pepper. Grains of pepper and long pepper (longum), from the Malabar Coast of India, reached Europe over 3000 years ago. The Goths in 408 AD demanded pepper as part of their ransom when they sacked Rome; later, pepper was traded ounce for ounce with gold and used as currency for rent, dowries, and taxes.

Today, pepper is known as the king of spices or the primary spice and accounts for one-quarter of the world's total spice trade. In terms of volume and value, pepper remains the most important spice and generally the most added ingredient to dishes after water and salt.

Although always valued as a flavor enhancer, pepper gained its popularity due to its medicinal properties as a digestive stimulant and expectorant.

Black, white, green, and orange or red pepper (we're not referring to pink peppercorns, which are most commonly used in peppercorn blends; they are not related to this plant) come from the same plant but are processed differently and harvested at different times.

The berries grow in clusters on vines that climb trees or artificial supports and can grow up to 10 meters tall. The vine starts bearing fruit only in the third year and reaches full strength at seven years. Pepper clusters, numbering around 50 berries, are hand-picked at different times depending on whether black, white, green, or red pepper is being harvested.

BLACK PEPPER is obtained from unripe, green berries which are then briefly cooked in water to clean and prepare them for drying. Due to the heat, the cell walls in the pepper burst, speeding up the enzyme process responsible for the brown color obtained during drying. The berries are dried for several days in the sun or by machine, during which time they shrivel and turn black. Some estates skip the brief boiling process.

After drying, grinding pepper can yield extract or oil. The extract is used in popular beverages such as Coca-Cola and in many cosmetic and medical preparations, while the oil is used as Ayurvedic massage oil.

FLAVOR

Black pepper has a fine, fruity, bitter scent with warm, woody, and lemony notes. The taste is pungent and sharp, leaving a clean and penetrating flavor in the mouth.

Both unripe and ripe fruits are used.

BLACK PEPPERCORNS PURCHASE AND STORAGE

When ground, pepper rapidly loses aroma and flavor, so it's best to buy whole berries and grind them in a pepper mill or crush them in a mortar as needed. In a tightly sealed container, pepper berries can last over a year.

Pepper has different characteristics in various regions where it grows, so it is classified according to its origin.

Generally speaking, the flavor of pepper depends on the amount of essential oil it contains, while the amount of piperine alkaloid justifies its pungency.

Black pepper contains both aroma and pungency. White pepper contains less essential oil than black pepper because the oil is located in the husk, which is removed during cleaning; this also explains why white pepper, though pungent, has a weaker aroma. Over time, the strength of flavor compounds in essential oils evaporates.

The amount of essential oils and piperine varies depending on the origin of the pepper. The highest-quality pepper is Indian MALABAR, with a fruity aroma and pure pungency. TELLICHERRY is a class with the largest berries. Indonesian LAMPONG pepper has more piperine and fewer essential oils, so it is more pungent than aromatic; the berries are smaller and grayish-black. SARAWAK pepper from Malaysia has a milder aroma than Indonesian berries but is pungent and biting. BRAZILIAN pepper has a smaller amount of piperine and is quite mild. VIETNAMESE pepper is light in color and mild.

USE IN COOKING

Pepper is neither sweet nor spicy, barely bitter. Although it is often used in spicy dishes, it can be used with fruits as well as in sweet bread and cakes. It enhances the flavor of other spices and retains its flavor during cooking.

The aroma of black pepper can be found in dishes all over the world. Even chili lovers in Latin America and South Asia use pepper to spice up cooking liquids, broths, salad dressings, and sauces, or crush them to add to spice blends and marinades.

Ground pepper is rubbed into fish and meat before grilling or roasting; it flavors rich casseroles and curries; it is used to season simple vegetables with butter and smoked fish.

In France, mignonette pepper, a mixture of black and white pepper, is often used, black for aroma, white for strength.

Rinse canned pepper berries before use.

It is essential for baharat, berbere, garam masala, ras el hanout, quatre epices.

It is good with most dishes.

It combines well with basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coconut milk, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, lemon, lime, nutmeg, parsley, rosemary, thyme, turmeric.