Salt's Stalwart Companion
Salt's Stalwart Companion
Seasoning babysteps with black pepper to enhance even the simplest of foods
Salt is essential to our appreciation of seasoning, but pepper is what awakens our taste buds and adds depth of perception. Pepper is yin to salt’s yang, and the two provide balance through their complementary qualities.
Known as the “King of Spices” or the “master spice,” pepper has been used in Western culture for millennia, with documented references that date to 500 BC. Its use in the Far East precedes that time since pepper is indigenous there. From a commercial point of view, pepper is premier, accounting for one-fourth of the world’s spice commerce. This distinction has been maintained throughout recorded time. In the fifteenth century, the tiny orbs changed the course of history and led to the expansion of the New World. Columbus sought sea routes to the East to find a speedier way to get those esteemed and valuable spices to the European tables that could afford them.
Piper nigrum is a perennial vine that is native to the equatorial forests of India, the world’s foremost producer, and cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil. The plant takes eight years to reach maturity and can produce berry clusters for up to 20 years. The berries ripen at different times on the vine, depending on the relation to the sun, so harvesting is done by hand, similar to the way grapes are harvested.
Green, black, and white peppercorns all come from the same plant. Green peppercorns are immature, with a fruity, mild flavor, and just a hint of the characteristic spice. They are both dried green or packed in a brine that should be rinsed before use. Black peppercorns are green peppercorns that are allowed to ferment in the sun, which allows the enzymes in a fungus, Glomerella cingulata, that is present on the healthy berries to develop a more pungent flavor. White peppercorns result from allowing the berries to remain on the plant until they are fully ripe and bright red. They are then soaked to remove the outer husks, revealing the white core.
Pink peppercorns are the berries of a South American tree, Schinus terebinthifolius, cultivated on the French island of Reunion off the coast of Africa. They are not true peppercorns but add visual interest to a peppercorn blend and have a slightly resinous quality. Szechwan peppercorns are also not true peppercorns. They are the dried berries of a Chinese prickly ash tree that have a spicy, woodsy aroma and a tingly sensation after they are dry-roasted before use.
Though it stands on nearly every table in America next to its partner, salt, ground pepper is vastly inferior to that which is freshly ground. The volatile oils present in the dried berries are released during grinding and fade quickly, so it is best to grind just before serving to truly experience the complexities of pepper. Varieties of whole black peppercorns include Indian Tellicherry and Malabar. Both of these varieties are from the same harvest on the same plant, but the Tellicherry berries are larger and with a redder color than the more greenish-tinged Malabar simply because they were positioned on the tops of the spikes, or clusters. Sarawak peppercorns come from Borneo and are carefully hand-harvested in the time-honored tradition, with particularly plump and flavorful berries
Most grocery stores carry an assortment of peppercorns in handy grinders but a source for exotic varieties is Penzey’s Spices. The Penzey’s catalog is a wealth of information about seasonings in general with beautiful color photographs and facts about different spices. Small minimum orders allow the consumer to try a wide variety and make informed decisions about preferences.
When cooking with pepper, adding the freshly ground pepper near the end of the cooking time allows the flavors to blend and avoids scorching the delicate particles. In a dish with a lot of liquid, such as a soup, the whole peppercorns can be added to the liquid that will later be strained, or they can be tied into a cheesecloth bag along with other aromatics, so they can be retrieved easily. Season with conviction but always remember that more can always be added at the table—but there is no way to remove too much.
Seasoning adds a dimension to cooking and eating that helps make life worthwhile and should be approached with careful consideration. For a simple exercise on the importance of seasoning, try this. Gently scramble an egg or two and divide it on a plate into three portions. Leave one-third plain, lightly sprinkle one-third with sea salt or crushed Kosher salt, and grind a few turns of pepper on the third portion. Taste each separately, beginning with the unseasoned sample. Taste the one with the salt and notice how the flavor of the egg is enhanced and how the taste buds on the tongue are stimulated. Taste the portion with the pepper and notice how your mouth seems to become a cave, with the volatile oils of the pepper stimulating the olfactory area at the roof of your mouth and the base of your brain. Now mix them all together and enjoy!
