The spice of life, and cultures around the world
The bane of my serving days was remembering to offer freshly ground pepper. The restaurant that I worked in had an upstairs dining area with 30 tables and a downstairs dining area leading out to a large patio with 40 tables. There were two (!) pepper mills to meet the needs of dining clientele. The result was that servers were often running after one another to get the use of the pepper mill with hopes of delivering "freshly ground" to meals that were still warm and not yet half eaten. More often than not, the proffered mill would receive a cursory, dismissive wave of a patron’s hand. Not so a few hundred years ago when black peppercorns were traded ounce for ounce with gold.
Black pepper is the third most used addition to food after water and salt. It is hard to imagine, given the plentiful bounty of today, that the little black berries changed the course of history several times over.
Black pepper ( piper nigrum) is native to the Malibar Coast of India and to Indonesia and it was commonly used as a spice in India and China centuries before Alexander the Great introduced it into Greece. The Romans were the first to impose custom duty on peppercorns at Alexandria around 176 AD. Trade with the Roman Empire was based on five essential luxuries: African ivory, Chinese silk, Germanian amber, African incense and Indian pepper. Pepper spread through the Empire and remained an expensive commodity through to the middle ages, when peppercorns were used to pay ransoms, taxes and exchange currency.
The accidental discovery of the New World was the result of ambition to find a short cut to India for a consistent supply of spices. The struggle for control over spice producing regions led to all out wars between England, Holland and Portugal between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Today pepper is cultivated in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil.
Black pepper is a perennial vine with heart shaped leaves and creamy-white aromatic flowers. Peppercorns are the berries that grow in tiny grape-like clusters which are processed to produce three basic types of peppercorns – black, white and green. Black peppercorns are the most commonly used form. Unripe berries are picked, left to ferment for a few days and then dried, becoming shriveled, wrinkled and dark black. The flavour is pungent, slightly sweet and very strong.
Soaking ripe pepper berries in a salt water solution helps to remove the outer husk which is then rubbed off to reveal a gray inner peppercorn. When dried, these become white peppercorns. They have a more mellow flavour and the advantage of not adding black specks to food, particularly white sauces.
Green peppercorns are unripe berries that have been preserved in brine or by freeze-drying. They retain a more fruity flavour and are less pungent than the white or black variety. Because ground pepper loses its pungency very quickly it is best to grind peppercorns as needed. Purchasing a pepper mill is a must – a good one will last a lifetime. Alternatively, use a coffee grinder to grind small amounts. Ground pepper will keep for about four months.
The high price of peppercorns throughout history led to some unscrupulous distribution practices by spice merchants. Suppliers were known to mix mustard husks, juniper berries, floor sweepings and even ground charcoal to black pepper to stretch its value. The use of the spice for cooking became very expensive and so alternatives to black pepper were often used for this purpose. Long pepper ( Piper longum) is very similar to black pepper but slightly less pungent. Cubeb pepper ( P. Cubeba) has a turpentine-allspice aroma. Ashanti or West African pepper ( P guinense) is often added as an adulterant to ground black pepper but it is more mild.
Szechuan pepper is the rusty brown berry of a prickly ash tree, Zanthoxylum piperitum. Also called fagara, the berries have a woody-spicy fragrance and less sharp flavour. Along with ginger and cinnamon, Szechuan pepper is one of the oldest seasonings in China and they are an essential ingredient in Chinese five-spice blend. In Japan these berries are called sansho and they are one of the few spices used in Japanese dishes.
Monk’s pepper ( Vitex agnus-castus) , so called as the berries were used in a condiment to suppress libido in monasteries, is not used much these days. The berries are similar in size, colour and strength to real black peppercorns but lack the characteristic aroma. Recently, vitex berries have been used in herbal medicines as they seem to have an effect on both male and female hormonal balance.
Grains of paradise, allspice and juniper berries were all used as substitutes for black pepper when the real thing was too expensive.
What of pink peppercorns? Also called baies roses, pink peppercorns are the berry harvested from a small tree commercially grown on the French island Reunion, in the Indian Ocean. France imports the berries to be cleaned, processed and packaged and then exports them as a gourmet spice. Prices for pink peppercorns can be as high as $10 per ounce. The plant, Schinus terebinthifolius , is a member of the cashew family, also a relative of numerous poison species such as poison ivy and poison sumac. Unfortunately, many people experience throat irritation, vomiting, and/or diarrhea after eating them. There was a short-lived ban on importing pink peppercorns to the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration due to their potential toxicity but they continue to be marketed in North America today and often at high prices.
Black pepper is a staple in modern kitchens. It not only adds flavour to any dish, savoury or sweet, it also helps digestion by stimulating gastric juices. Freshly ground pepper brings out extra sweetness on fresh strawberries and it is also good added to gingerbread and spice cakes.
Too bad I can’t trade in my peppercorns to pay taxes like they did in the old days. Nevertheless, I always keep my pepper mill handy as it adds richness to many a dish. The following recipe comes from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. It would be equally good with beef instead of lamb.
Roast Lamb with Peppercorn Crust
3 tablespoons crushed dried peppercorns, an equal mix of black, white and green
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, or one and a half teaspoons dried
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup Oriental soy sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 boned but untied leg of lamb, about 5 pounds (weighed after boning)
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1.Combine 1 tablespoon of the crushed peppercorns, the rosemary, mint, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce and red wine in a shallow bowl. Marinate the lamb in the mixture for eight hours, turning occasionally.
2. Remove roast from marinade and drain; reserve marinade. Roll the roast, tying it with kitchen twine.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Spread mustard over meat and pat 2 tablespoons of crushed peppercorns into the mustard. Set the roast in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold it comfortably and pour reserved marinade carefully around but not over roast.
5. Bake for one and a half hours, or 18 minutes per pound, basting occasionally. Roast will be medium rare. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes for well-done meat. Let roast stand for 20 minutes before carving. Serve pan juices in gravy boat along with lamb.
6-8 portions
