Black Pepper: Pepper comes from the dried fruit of piper nigrum, a vine native to India. It is known as Kali Mirch in
Hindi for its sharp flavor and color. Ground black pepper is used in a variety of dishes, from vegetable and meat curries to simple omelettes and dals. Powdered black pepper is also an essential part of
garam masala.
The history of the spice trade is, above all, the history of pepper, the ‘King of Spices’. Pepper has been moving westward from India for 4,000 years. It has been used in trading as an exchange medium like money and, at times, has been valued so highly that a single peppercorn dropped on the floor would be hunted like a lost pearl. In classical times ‘tributes’ were paid in pepper, and both
Attila the Hun and
Alaric I the Visigoth demanded pepper as a substantial part of Rome’s ransom. Since the Middle Ages, pepper was the core of the European spice trade, with
Genoa and Venice dominating the market. The Italian ‘pepperers’ monopoly of overland trade routes was the major determining factor in driving the search for an eastern sea route. For more historical information, read Pepper: King of Spices.
Black Pepper Spice Description:
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. 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.
Flavor: Black pepper is very pungent and fiery.
Black Pepper 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.
Black Pepper 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.
Other Names for Black Pepper:
Black
French: poivre
German: Pfeffer
Italian: pepe nero
Spanish: pimienta negra
Arabic: filfil
Indian: gol/kala,i, mir(i)ch(i)
Indonesian: merica hitam, meritja
Lao: phik noi
Malay: lada hitam
Thai: prik ki tai
References:
the Epicenter Website
The Book of Spices, F. Rosengarten Jr. (Livingston Publishing Co. , Penn., USA, 1969)
Cooking With Spices, Carolyn Heal & Michael Allsop (David & Charles, Vermont, USA 1983)
Cupboard Love, A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities, Mark Morton ((Insomniac Press, Toronto, Canada 2004)
The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism, Malcolm Stuart (Macdonald & Company, Turin, Italy, 1987)
The Herb Book, John Lust (Bantam Books, New York, USA, 1984)
New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, Felix Guirand (The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd, Middlesex, England, 1968)
