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Pepper is one of the oldest spices in the world, now widespread in the kitchens of most countries, where different varieties can be found that stand out for nuances of color, flavor, and organoleptic notes. Pepper is indeed the fruit of the Piper nigrum plant, belonging to the Piperaceae family and native to Western India, specifically Malabar, but there are about 600 types or species, with different and peculiar characteristics that depend on the plant, terroir, climate, but also on the cultivation method.
From a historical point of view, pepper is a very interesting spice, as its use in cooking is quite ancient; it was already used by the ancient Egyptians, and especially by the Romans, who, like the Maritime Republics did later, ventured to the coasts of India to import this precious spice. Piper nigrum is indeed a tropical plant that does not grow in the Mediterranean climate and latitude but thrives on the Equator line: it is a climbing plant, a vine, which requires a warm climate and high humidity, and in the areas where it is endemic, it requires little maintenance, making cultivation easy.
The peculiarity of pepper is certainly its spiciness, due to the content of piperine, the active ingredient that gives this spice its sharp and surprising taste and that mainly concentrates in the outer cuticle of the grain. Due to these characteristics, it was widely used in Roman cuisine: in ancient treatises, it is reported that Roman dishes were often very spicy, precisely because of the use of pepper, which was often used to cover suboptimal or stale flavors. It is important to specify that when talking about the common use of pepper in ancient Rome, reference is made exclusively to the cuisine of the Roman nobles. Coming from so far away, pepper had exorbitant costs, so much so that it became almost a measure of luxury for the patricians, who instructed their cooks to use pepper in banquets to demonstrate the high status of their social status. We can almost speak of pepper as a trend, which persisted until the Middle Ages when commercial conditions changed, and the availability of the product increased.
With the arrival of the first merchants—such as the Portuguese—on the coasts of India and China, a massive import of pepper was initiated: from that moment on, there were high quantities in Europe, and its price plummeted, leading to a decline in the spice that lasted until our era, in which there has been a rediscovery of pepper in gastronomic use thanks to an increasingly globalized cuisine open to ethnic flavors and therefore to the nuances of taste and different aromatic profiles of existing pepper varieties.
Discover the Variety of Pepi Terza Luna
Pepper, like most spices, is native - or endogenous - to the coasts of South India, from which many other seeds and spices commonly used in kitchens around the world originate, obtained from plants that thrive in humid climates. In India, pepper has always been used in cooking and for its beneficial properties attributed to the presence of piperine; in the Vedas, the ancient texts of Indian wisdom dating back to 3-4 thousand years before Christ, which provide humans with a true manual of life ranging from philosophy to diet, pepper was already listed among the beneficial ingredients for the body due to its rubefacient properties, capable of accelerating the digestive process.
Botanically, pepper is a climbing plant whose fruits grow in clusters of green grains, which turn reddish-brown as they ripen. Pepper vines can grow up to 10 meters in height, exploiting existing trees on which they climb: this is why when cultivating pepper, the plant is made to climb on poles or brick columns. The leaf of the Piper nigrum plant has the shape of a snake's head, resembling that of ivy, and the yield of each plant is normally 1-2 kg. Pepper grains reach maturity in late summer, depending on the temperatures, when the fruits can be harvested and processed, although some varieties are harvested before full ripening.
Depending on the processing, different varieties of pepper will be obtained. Many existing peppers, such as black pepper, green pepper, and white pepper, are in fact the fruit of the same plant, which undergoes different processing methods, resulting in a product with a different aromatic profile and flavor. Other types of pepper, instead, have different characteristics and therefore different names due to the place where they grow and the methods by which they are cultivated and processed, the terroir, climate, and degree of ripeness. There are also other varieties not belonging to the species Piper nigrum, but are still classified as peppers: from pink pepper to Sichuan pepper, we are talking about "similar pepper" or "false pepper", berries and fruits obtained from plants not belonging to the Piperaceae family, which, however, in shape, color, aroma, and use resemble pepper, and are included in this category.
In this article, we want to clarify the different species and varieties of pepper, outlining not only the organoleptic profile and bouquet of scents of each, but also illustrating the best ways to use these precious berries in cooking. The aromatic differences between peppers are very important in choosing which berry to use in different dishes: that is why it is also very important to have a specific pepper mill for each variety, to prevent flavors and aromas from blending together.
Here is a list of the most well-known types of pepper:
We will now specifically outline the characteristics of the different plants and the factors that determine the differences between the most important varieties of pepper.
Discover the Variety of Terza Luna Pepi
Black pepper is the most common type of pepper: it is obtained through a processing method where the grains, after being harvested, are brought to complete oxidation with the help of water, resulting in the typical black color. Black pepper can be found in different countries around the world, but it will not be the same specific product. Variations in terroir, cultivation methods, and harvest times will lead to products with different aromatic and visual nuances: from Sarawack black pepper in Malaysia, to Talamanca black pepper, to Lampong black pepper. These species will be different, with characteristics depending on the country of origin, cultivation methods, and plant variety. For example, on Terza Luna you can find Tellicherry black pepper, a name that refers to the size of the grain, larger than the classic black pepper and with a very intense flavor. In cooking, black pepper can be used in most dishes, but due to its spicy component, it pairs well with bold ingredients such as rich meats and pasta dishes.
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White pepper is actually the same fruit of the Piper nigrum plant, so it is actually black pepper (you can learn more about the differences between white pepper and black pepper in the dedicated article). The white color is due to the processing method, where black pepper grains are soaked in water to remove the outer skin, which by maceration detaches, leaving only the internal grain, the seed, white in color. Subsequently, it is dried, obtaining the finished white pepper grain. Thanks to the removal of the outer skin, the part of the pepper where the highest concentration of piperine occurs, and therefore the spiciest part of the pepper, white pepper is a sweeter and more delicate type of pepper that pairs well with equally delicate ingredients; white sauces, fish and soups, but also casseroles and soufflés. Due to its light color, it is widely used to add a spicy note to the dish without compromising its aesthetics by "staining" it with black dots. Like black pepper, there are also different varieties of white pepper, among the most famous are Sarawak white pepper, native to Malaysia, and Muntok white pepper, produced in Indonesia. On Terza Luna, you can find a rare organic white pepper from India.
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The green pepper is another variety of pepper obtained from the processing of the berries of Piper nigrum, the same plant from which black pepper and white pepper are obtained. In this case, it is the peppercorn harvested slightly earlier than black pepper, when it is still unripe, which is immediately dried to stop the oxidation processes, which are often accelerated in the processing of black pepper. Green pepper therefore retains the outer skin, which, not being oxidized, has a green color. Green pepper has a very herbaceous and fresh flavor, but at the same time aromatic and spicy, with surprising fruity notes. Since the outer skin is the most important aromatic component of pepper, as it is where the essential oils are concentrated, green pepper has a less pungent spiciness than black pepper, being more unripe and less oxidized: it is often preserved in brine or vinegar, a process that originally served to make it last longer and makes it softer and more delicate. The green pepper for sale on Terza Luna is a precious pepper that is suitable for creating sauces, but also for preserving meats and preparing cheeses. It is famous for being the main ingredient of green peppercorn steak.
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The pink pepper, or red pepper, is not actually a true pepper, but falls into the category of "false pepper": it is not the berry of Piper nigrum but the dried fruit of a shrub called Schinus molle, native to South America but also grown as an ornamental plant in Italy, where it can be found very easily even wild. Like many other berries classified in the pepper category, pink pepper is called so for the shape of the grain and for the pronounced aromatic component, which is mainly concentrated on the outer part. One of the peculiarities of pink pepper, which sets it apart from other peppers, is that it does not need to be ground, as it is very fragile and soft. It is enough to rub it between your hands and sprinkle it on the dish, giving it the typical light and delicate yet aromatic taste of pink pepper. Due to its sweetness, pink pepper pairs well with equally delicate ingredients, cheese risottos, creams, but also salads and fish dishes. Terza Luna has included a pink pepper from Brazil among its precious peppers.
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The Sichuan pepper or Szechuan pepper is one of the most well-known peppers after the classic ones derived from Piper nigrum. Sichuan is a Chinese province bordering Tibet, in the western part of the country. Here grows the Sichuan pepper plant, Zanthoxylum piperitum, therefore not a variety of Piper nigrum but a completely different species. Also, Sichuan pepper is not a true pepper, but it is called so because its berry resembles a black pepper berry. It is used throughout Asia, especially in China, Tibet, and Nepal, where it is called timur. The fame of Sichuan pepper is due to its aromatic profile and surprising flavor: it is not spicy like black pepper, but leaves a numbing sensation in the mouth, due to the content of hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which slightly anesthetizes the tongue. Sichuan pepper has a slightly citrusy taste, making it perfect for accompanying fish dishes, white meats, vegetables, or flavoring oil. Only the outer husks are used, while the inner seed is discarded. It is often mixed with other spices like ginger, anise, and garlic to flavor meats.
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The Timut pepper is a close relative of Sichuan Pepper, and therefore another fake pepper: it is the fruit of Zanthoxylum armatum, another cultivar that grows mostly in Nepal. It has berries slightly smaller than Sichuan pepper, and it is less numbing, but its aromatic notes and taste are more intense, with a citrusy aftertaste reminiscent of grapefruit and passion fruit. Just like its botanical relative, in the kitchen, Timut pepper is very suitable to be paired with white meats, fish, and seafood, especially lobster and crayfish, but it is also widely used in desserts: the berries are crushed with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, and very little is needed to enrich the dishes with its aroma.
The long pepper, botanical name Piper longum, is a very ancient and characteristic spice, with a unique aromatic profile reminiscent of chocolate and slightly acidic notes of licorice. The fruit of this plant, which grows mainly in Indonesia and Tibet, has the unusual shape of an elongated cone, similar to a pine cone, which is oxidized and dried until it becomes hard. Long pepper is a close relative of black pepper, as the plant belongs to the family of Piperaceae, the same as Piper nigrum, but it has a much more delicate and sweet flavor and aroma compared to other types of pepper, and unlike other peppers, it is not ground or crushed but grated, as you would with nutmeg. The use of long pepper in cooking is typical of oriental cuisine, especially in India, Nepal, and Indonesia, but thanks to its intense notes, it has also been rediscovered by haute cuisine, which makes extensive use of it in dishes with an ethnic flavor.
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The Tasmanian pepper is a very rare spice, as well as one of the most precious peppers in the world: it is not exactly a pepper, but the fruit of a tree that only grows wild, the Tasmania lanceolata. It is also known as mountain pepper, it grows in Tasmania, Australia, and it is very difficult to cultivate: precisely because it is impossible to produce large quantities of it, Tasmanian pepper is also one of the most expensive peppers. It is a pepper with a sweet initial taste in the mouth, and then very intense and spicy with a numbing note on the tongue, in fact, a little goes a long way to give an aromatic boost to any dish: it pairs well with creamy and hot dishes, sauces, curries, and stews with the addition of milk or cream, but it is also perfect on barbecue meats, especially game. One of the most interesting uses is to replace Tasmanian pepper with black pepper in classic recipes, such as cacio e pepe. The fruit of the Tasmanian pepper tree is about the size of a currant, but it is much smaller after being dried, and has a wrinkled bluish-black skin. It can be used whole to flavor soups and stews, or ground, but in any case, it is not recommended to cook it for a long time.
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The Madagascar pepper— also known as Voatsiperifery pepper— is a wild pepper, like Tasmanian pepper, its plant grows wild in Madagascar, in tropical forests, and it is practically impossible to cultivate. Being a wild pepper whose plant grows only in a specific area, collected exclusively by hand with difficulty from plants that climb up to 30 meters in height on surrounding trees, it is a very rare and expensive pepper, among the most precious peppers that exist: according to recent estimates only 500 kg are produced per year. The Madagascar pepper has a very important aromatic profile, with incredible woodland notes and forest, hints of tobacco, wood, moss, and wet leaves: smelling it is like taking a walk in an autumnal forest. This pepper is not very spicy but very aromatic, considered a gourmet pepper precisely because of its rarity. It can be used on grilled fish or meat, but also on pasta dishes and desserts, or to flavor oil. Its grains can also be crushed by hand, without using a spice grinder.
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The allspice or Jamaican pepper, also known as clove pepper, is one of the most interesting peppers from an aromatic point of view because it embraces notes that range from cinnamon to nutmeg, from cloves to black pepper, passing through almond. Precisely because of this complex bouquet of scents, Jamaican pepper is known as Allspice in England, as it seems to contain a blend of spices. In this case too, it is a fake pepper: allspice is actually the dried fruit of the Pimienta dioica, a tree native to Jamaica and Mexico, which over time has been cultivated in many other areas of the world; its grain has a light color, is much larger compared to other peppers and almost empty inside, therefore very voluminous but less dense than other berries. Allspice is one of the most used peppers in mixology precisely for its ability to give preparations a unique and complex aroma, and is used in particular to make allspice dram, a liqueur widely used in mixing, as well as in syrups as a base for many drinks.
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The cubebe pepper (Piper cubeba) or Java pepper, is an Indonesian pepper, especially cultivated in Java and Sumatra. Unlike other peppers, cubebe pepper does not grow in clusters but from a stem that often remains attached to the dried berry; it has a very pleasant aroma, and a rather delicate flavor, similar to that of allspice, with minty and citrusy notes, almost camphor-like, which pair well with fish and make it perfect for marinades and enriching chutneys. It is often confused with black pepper, but it is a different berry, very popular in the Middle East in spice mixes like ras el hanout. Very interesting is the use of cubebe pepper in mixology: just as in haute cuisine, bartenders all over the world have ventured into the world of precious and rare spices, using the most exotic peppers—such as cubebe pepper—to revisit classic drink and cocktail recipes: cubebe pepper can be substituted, for example, for black pepper in the preparation of a Bloody Mary, or used to prepare syrups to use as a base for cocktails. To prepare a pepper syrup to use as a base for your drinks, create a decoction with at least 50 g of pepper per 300 ml of water, adding 150 g of sugar for every 100 g of liquid. This decoction can be prepared using any of the described peppers, and will guarantee a surprising note in your cocktails.
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Kampot pepper is a variety of Piper nigrum that grows in Cambodia; therefore, it is the same plant as black or white pepper but from a different terroir. Kampot pepper is also known as the 'king of peppers', as it is extremely prized: it is hand-picked and undergoes natural cultivation, following traditional and manual methods passed down through generations in Cambodia. Cambodia has always been a poor country, colonized by France before the communist dictatorship, with which it had a flourishing trade: French chefs had learned to use Kampot pepper from soldiers returning from Cambodia, where it was a cornerstone of local cuisine. However, with the advent of the communist dictatorship and the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, plantations were burned, as happened in China with tea plantations. Today, there has been a resurgence in the trade of Kampot pepper, a rare and very interesting spice in terms of terroir—since it grows right on the Mekong Delta—that is helping the country's farmers support the economy through exports. Kampot pepper has a surprising aromatic component, sweet with fruity notes, and a significant spiciness: it is widely used in gourmet cuisine to enhance seafood and meat dishes. On Terza Luna, you can find Kampot pepper originating from Cambodia.
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Cayenne pepper is mistakenly called pepper: it is actually a chili, the fruit of the plant Capsicum annuum, the same as the common chili pepper cultivated in Italy. Cayenne chili is native to French Guiana, has a thin and elongated shape, and is one of the most used chilies in kitchens around the world. The term pepper could be due to the incorrect translation of the word 'pepper'. Pepper and chili, despite both having a spicy note, due respectively to piperine and capsaicin, have different therapeutic characteristics; pepper is known for its rubefacient properties, increases blood flow, and aids digestion, while chili accelerates gastric emptying.
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