Peppercorns, black, white, green (and their culinary cousins).

[JAZ]

On 12/30/2022 at 9:42 PM, FeChef said:

Really? Thats like a standard in asian cooking. I will admit, i am very picky with what brand i buy because some white pepper smells like baby poo. ( seriously ) I have a goto brand at my local asian market that doesn't bring back diaper change flashbacks. 

 

Harold McGee wrote about off flavors and odors in white peppercorns quite a while ago. From the article: "It turns out that the off-flavors develop during the fermentation. Pepper is grown and white pepper produced in the tropics, and thanks to the heat and the stagnant fermentation water, microbes flourish that break down peppercorn flesh to variations on the molecule indole and other compounds that smell rotten, fecal, cheesy, and chemical. The chemists showed that if the peppercorns are kept in constantly flowing water for just a few days, the fleshy layer can be removed with little or no development of off-flavors."

 

Harold McGee: Strange flavors in white pepper

[Amy D.]

On 1/1/2023 at 9:09 PM, JAZ said:

 

Harold McGee wrote about off flavors and odors in white peppercorns quite a while ago. From the article: "It turns out that the off-flavors develop during the fermentation. Pepper is grown and white pepper produced in the tropics, and thanks to the heat and the stagnant fermentation water, microbes flourish that break down peppercorn flesh to variations on the molecule indole and other compounds that smell rotten, fecal, cheesy, and chemical. The chemists showed that if the peppercorns are kept in constantly flowing water for just a few days, the fleshy layer can be removed with little or no development of off-flavors."

 

Harold McGee: Strange flavors in white pepper

I wonder if any there are any sellers that can say that their white pepper is exclusively fermented in flowing water. I always think white pepper tastes of the smell of decaying chicken. I probably eat it fine when it's disguised by other flavours but as a main seasoning white pepper ruins a dish for me. But I love freshly ground black pepper

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, Amy D. said:

I wonder if any there are any sellers that can say that their white pepper is exclusively fermented in flowing water. I always think white pepper tastes of the smell of decaying chicken. I probably eat it fine when it's disguised by other flavours but as a main seasoning white pepper ruins a dish for me. But I love freshly ground black pepper

 

 

I recall one spice monger mentioning flowing water in their white pepper verbiage.  I don't remember which seller that was.  I believe the method processing of the peppercorns varies by country and region of production.

 

[Maison Rustique]

15 hours ago, Amy D. said:

I wonder if any there are any sellers that can say that their white pepper is exclusively fermented in flowing water. I always think white pepper tastes of the smell of decaying chicken. I probably eat it fine when it's disguised by other flavours but as a main seasoning white pepper ruins a dish for me. But I love freshly ground black pepper

 

If you scroll down Burlap and Barrel's White Pepper page, it says it is fermented in a stream.

[Amy D.]

Thanks I will have to have a better look at the spice mongers here in the UK. Though reading the burlap and barrel's page it describes the funky umami flavours of the white pepper, so it may just be that it's not a spice I like.

[AAQuesada]

I am a big fan of Reluctant Trading. Chef Jeremy Fox of Rustic Canyon in LA posted about them once long ago and the peppercorns are excellent. In addition to the normal (high quality stuff) they also do Smoked peppercorns and another that are fermented in a brine for 2 weeks before being dried.

 

https://reluctanttrading.com/collections/peppercorns

[Anna N]

According to The Guardian, pepper, changed the world. 
 

With pepper, as it is for migrants, the answer to “where are you from?” is complex and varied, and involves many stories and histories including colonialism and violence; it can tell us about hidden pasts and forgotten voices.

…….

 

So where does pepper really come from? It comes from hot, tropical landscapes. It comes from Subang’s small family farm upriver from Kapit, Sarawak, where pepper prices have dropped so much she is farming less and less. It comes from the Parameswaran family farm in Thiruelly, Kerala, where they have been farming for 35 years and hand harvest just as berries ripen. The answer feels infinite, but ultimately pepper comes from people and communities

 

Here.

[TdeV]

This is my favourite (and daily) SpiceTrekkers 8 Pepper Blend "Comprising a careful balance of Tribal green, Tellicherry black and Indonesian white peppers as well as Indian Long pepper, Guinea pepper, and the highly fragrant Imperial Sichuan, Voatisperifery, Cubeb peppers. and allspice. This intricate blend is appreciated by our customers for its versatility and has become an everyday pepper in many of their households."

 

They are Canadian.

Edited January 7, 2023 by TdeV (log)

[heidih]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

This is my favourite (and daily) SpiceTrekkers 8 Pepper Blend "Comprising a careful balance of Tribal green, Tellicherry black and Indonesian white peppers as well as Indian Long pepper, Guinea pepper, and the highly fragrant Imperial Sichuan, Voatisperifery, Cubeb peppers. and allspice. This intricate blend is appreciated by our customers for its versatility and has become an everyday pepper in many of their households."

 

Interesting blend and the add of allspice.  Lots f testing n the prportions I imagine. Thanks for sharing - intrigued. 

[TdeV]

Heidi, it's quite tasty. Amusingly the 7 oz (200g) tin of pepper came smushed, so I told Spicetrekkers about it, and a few days later a new unsmushed one appeared in the mail, so I have plenty of pepper for a while!