Guide to Pepper

[nverland]

Guide to Pepper


BLACK PEPPER

Black pepper is probably what’s in your grinder or shaker right now.

The berries for what becomes black pepper are harvested as they turn from green to yellow. Then they’re dried in the sun for three to seven days. After this curing, they become the tiny, wrinkly black pellets we know so well.

Black pepper is an ace solo player, but also a fine ensemble actor. It’s a vital part in many global spice blends, including berbere, garam masala, ras al hanout, and dukkah. And don’t forget lemon pepper!

WHITE PEPPER

Alas, white pepper—the neglected peppercorn! It’s way different from black pepper, and not just in color.

White pepper comes from the same plant as black pepper, but the berries are harvested ripe, and then soaked so their outer skins strip away, leaving an inner seed that’s creamy white.

White pepper is not as fruity as black pepper, but it is spicy-hotter than black pepper. It also has a musty, fermented character that offsets rich foods and spices that have a lot of resinous, citrusy notes (like juniper).

In classical French cooking, white pepper is preferred for seasoning white cream sauces and stews because it doesn’t interrupt the monochrome look—it’s not necessarily a flavor preference. (To be honest, I like the speckled look of black pepper in cream sauces.)

I love white pepper in dry rubs as a foil for fatty meats like lamb. The French seasoning quatre-épices, used in pâtés and sausages, employs white pepper along with nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to this effect. Chinese cuisine is notable for its use of white pepper. The “hot” in hot and sour soup comes from white pepper.

Grind white pepper and black pepper side by side and notice their distinct aromas. One at a time, put some on your tongue and consider their flavors. There’s no rule about when it’s appropriate to use white or black pepper. It’s up to you!

GREEN PEPPER

In its purest form, green pepper is simply fresh, unripe pepper berries. Because it’s pretty impossible to transport fresh pepper halfway around the world, what we see on the market comes in two forms: freeze-dried or bottled in brine.

The flavor is sweeter and fruitier, but still peppery. Try it with fish, chicken, or even chèvre cheese.

PINK PEPPER

Pink peppercorns come from an entirely different plant. Schinus molle (a.k.a. pepper tree, pepper plant, or pepperberry) is native to the Andes and is an evergreen in the cashew family. (Knowing such, if you have tree nut allergies avoid pink peppercorns.) Fun fact: florists use fresh branches of pepper plant in arrangements.

Pink peppercorns are the same size as black peppercorns, and they have some of the same punch, but not quite as much. In their dried form, the berries are more delicate than black pepper, and when ground, they are like fine, cheerfully red-pink confetti.

Try them in cream sauces, with lighter seafoods, over eggs, and with poached poultry.

SZECHUAN PEPPER

Also not from Piper nigrum, it’s the dried fruit of a species of prickly ash tree in the Zanthoxylum genus. Its flavor is mostly in the outer husks, and the small, hard seeds are not usually included in the spice.

Szechuan pepper delivers a tongue-numbing sensation that is said to enable diners to better taste the flavors of spicy chilis. It’s a vital component of Chinese five-spice. It’s often dry-toasted and ground right before using.

PEPPERCORN BLENDS

Spice companies often offer combinations of black, white, green, and pink peppercorns because they look striking in clear acrylic pepper mills.

Spice purists may poo-poo these blends, as it dilutes the individual qualities of each variety of peppercorn. I don’t really have a position here. If you use it and like it, keep doing so.