Piper nigrum: Black, White, Green
Fam: Piperaceae
Pepper comes from several species of a vinous plant, the spice being the fruit, called peppercorns. Black pepper is the dried, unripe berry. The corns are wrinkled and spherical, about 5 mm (1/8 in) in diameter. Malabar and Tellicherry pepper are both considered top quality due to size and maturity, with only 10% of the largest corns being graded as Tellicherry. White pepper starts out the same as the black, but are allowed to ripen more fully on the vine. The outer shell is then removed by soaking the berries in water until the shell falls off, or are held under flowing spring water, yielding a whiter, cleaner pepper. Green pepper is from the same fruit but is harvested before they mature. Pink pepper, which is not a vinous pepper, comes from the French island of Reunion. Pink peppercorns have a brittle, papery pink skin enclosing a hard, irregular seed, much smaller than the whole fruit.
Bouquet: aromatic, pungent
Flavour: Black pepper is very pungent and fiery.
White pepper is less pungent.
Green pepper is milder with a cleaner, fresher flavour.
Preparation and
Storage
Pepper is best purchased whole, as freshly ground pepper is vastly
superior to the ready ground powder. Whole peppercorns keep their
flavour indefinitely but quickly loses its aroma and heat after it has
been ground. Peppercorns are very hard but easily ground in a
peppermill. Cracked pepper is the partially broken corns, crushed using
a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin. Dried green peppercorns can
be reconstituted for mashing into a paste by soaking in water.
Peppercorns should be stored in airtight containers, away from sunlight.
Culinary Uses
Pepper is best ground directly on to food. With hot food it is best to
add pepper well towards the end of the cooking process, to preserve its
aroma. White pepper is used in white sauces rather than black pepper,
which would give the sauce a speckled appearance. Green peppercorns can
be mashed with garlic, cinnamon or to make a spiced butter or with cream
to make a fresh and attractive sauce for fish. Pink peppercorns are
called for in a variety of dishes, from poultry to vegetables and fish.
Attributed
Medicinal Properties
Stomachic; carminative; aromatic stimulant; antibacterial; diaphoretic.
Stimulates the taste-buds causing reflex stimulation of gastric
secretions, improving digestion and treating gastro-intestinal upsets
and flatulence. Pepper calms nausea and raises body temperature, making
it valuable for treating fevers and chills.
Plant
Description and Cultivation
An herbaceous annual of the buttercup family, about 60 cm (2 ft) high.
The gray--green leaves are wispy and threadlike. Flowers are have five
petals bout 2.5 cm wide (1 in), white with blue veins and appearing
between June and September. They yield a seed capsule with five
compartments each topped by a spike. The compartments open when dried to
disperse the seeds. Nigella is native to western Asia where it grows
both wild and cultivated. India, Egypt and the Middle East also
cultivate it.
