A pepper primer

Black pepper is undoubtedly the most popular spice on the planet, a perennial companion to salt. While there is a contingent that believes black pepper is drastically overused, the general consensus is that pepper adds something worthwhile to the dishes in which it is used. Of course there is more to the world of pepper than black peppercorns, and Food & Wine is here to explain the various types of peppercorns and how to use them.

The article includes the basics, stating that black pepper “is the dried berry of a flowering vine called Piper nigrum, which fruits in clusters like grapes,” says F&W. White and green peppercorns are the same berries, but with the outer shell removed (white) or not fully matured (green). The latter are often used fresh in a similar manner as capers. White pepper makes its funky, almost cheese-like presence known without any tiny dark flecks to distract from the appearance of a dish. Pink, Sichuan/Szechuan and Sancho peppercorns are different plants entirely and deliver their own unique flavor profiles.

As with many spices, there are different varieties and grades of pepper, each lending their own particular character. Purveyors like Penzey’s Spices often carry several types of peppercorns. A couple of years ago Serious Eats dived into the terroir of varieties including Tellicherry (India), Lampong (Indonesia), Malabar (India), Sarawak (Malaysia), and Talamanca (Ecuador). One interesting note from the Serious Eats comparison is that there was “low correlation between flavor and aroma, both in terms of intensity and tasting characteristics,” meaning that just because a pepper variety smelled really strong didn’t mean it would have an intense flavor.