Spice of the moment

Pepper

Details

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  Monday, 16 January 2012 14:52

Pepper (Piper nigrum L.)

Characteristics:

“Pepper, the spice as such.”

The pepper plant is an evergreen creeper that climbs up to a height of 9 meters.
Leaves are dark green, heart-shaped and entire (7-15cm long) with small, inconspicuous white flowers.
After pollination the flowers grow up to 15cm long spikes which change their colour from green to strong orange-red in ripening season.
Each spike produces 20-30 pea-sized berry fruits. They are picked by hand.
Depending on harvest time and processing they are used for various spices:

Black pepper: → green berries are left for fermenting after harvest. Then you air-dry them, so that they become wrinkled and a dark colour. This pepper is spicy-flavoured and tastes a bit tangy.


White pepper: → mellow red berries are watered for a week. Then the fruit pulp is removed and you also air-dry them, so that they become a pale yellow colour. This pepper is a little less aromatic, but still has got the full definition.


Green pepper: → crude berries are put into brine or alternatively freeze-dried rapidly at high temperature. This pepper tastes fresh and is less spicy.



Source (original/ today):

The plant originates in the muggy monsoon forests of Asia, especially in the coastal forests of the Indian province Malabar.
Today pepper is grown in many tropical regions of the world, particularly in Vietnam. Also in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia as well as Africa and Brazil.

History:

“It has always been one of the most important, not to say the most important spice.”

The people use pepper for flavouring dishes since the year dot.
More than 3,000 years ago our current pepper was described in his Indian home under the name “Pippari”. “Pippari” became the Greek “Péperi” → the Roman “Piper” → the English “Pepper” → the German “Pfeffer” and the French “Poivre”.
In the ancient Rome the spice was one of the most precious and coveted spice, and still is the most traded spice in terms of quantity today.

Usage and processing in cuisine:

“Pepper as a spice goes nicely with almost every cuisine in the world.”

You can refer to black pepper as a universal spice. It gives meat, deer, poultry, soups, sauces, fish, seafood, or desserts a spicy touch.
Green pepper is used primarily to some short-fried dishes. It goes nicely with Asian spices and flavours sauces, fish as well as poultry and pasties.
White pepper is good for flavouring white meat, filleted fish or cream sauces.
Mnemonic: Black pepper flavours dark - white pepper flavours bright dishes.
Tips for successful cooking with pepper: 1. Just grind up the pepper when it’s necessary, because pre-ground pepper looses flavour. 2. Add the pepper only at the end of cooking time, because ground pepper becomes a sour flavour.