Pink pepper

Pink Pepper

Brazilian Pink Pepper Grains 

• Schinus molle
• Origin: Brazil
• Format: Whole grains

Pink Pepper

Pink pepper is a spice in grains that can give recipes a sweet and slightly spicy, intense flavor with lemon notes. Excellent for decorating dishes with its pink color, it is often used in pepper blends, along with green and black pepper, for example, to give a more intense flavor to grilled vegetables, hard and soft cheeses, salads, fish and tartare, but also in desserts. Pink pepper is a pepper of South American origin, but widely used in European and Italian cuisine.

Plant Characteristics

Pink pepper is a berry fruit of an evergreen tree native to South America, the Schinus molle, belonging to the Anacardiaceae family. It is also known as "false pepper" because it does not belong to the Piperaceae family from which black and green pepper derive, but has taken on the name pink pepper for its perfume and appearance, reminiscent of Piper Nigrum, making it a widely used spice in kitchens around the world.

Pink pepper has a very characteristic aroma and flavor, less spicy than black pepper, and is used fresh or dried in various recipes. The pink pepper plant is native to the coastal valleys of Peru, where this false pepper grows up to 2000 meters in the Andean mountains, and its cultivation is now widespread, particularly in Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

Properties of Pink Pepper

Pink pepper has several properties, so much so that indigenous people considered it a remedy for most ailments due to its numerous healing benefits. Not surprisingly, pink pepper leaves were even used for divinatory practices. When Europeans landed in Peru, they attributed numerous properties to pink pepper and exported it to all their colonies, promoting its spread worldwide. We can summarize the therapeutic properties of pink pepper as:

• an excellent ally for digestion being tonic, stimulating, and stomachic;
• great antiseptic power used in popular culture for the treatment of infections and wounds;
• an ally for diuresis through its use in the preparation of herbal teas that promote the elimination of toxins by the kidneys;
• an excellent insecticide and antifungal so much so that it is used in various natural repellents for pets;
• a concrete solution to relieve toothache, rheumatism, and menstrual pain.

Nutritional Values

Regarding the nutritional values of pink pepper, we can say that it does not have nutritional properties, so using pink berries as food for a beneficial effect is not particularly effective, but it still has a positive effect on metabolism, and three pink pepper berries contain only 1 calorie. However, we can summarize them in the following table. In 100 grams of pink pepper, we find:

Uses of Pink Pepper

The uses of pink pepper are multiple and not limited exclusively to the culinary field, to flavor, garnish, or decorate various dishes. In addition to being an ingredient in cooking, it is also used:

• As part of a spice blend better known as Creole;
• To flavor wine in popular culture in Chile;
• For making agave juice known as "pulque," very popular in South America in countries like Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil;
• To flavor vinegar and liqueurs;
• As an insecticide against ticks, fungi, and fleas, especially in Uruguay and Europe;
• In the cosmetics sector for making body creams and perfumes.

How to Use Pink Pepper?

Pink pepper is mainly used in cooking as a spice to flavor and enhance both savory and sweet recipes. Pink berries have a very fragrant and intense aroma, but at the same time sweet and spicy, making them a special addition to many dishes. The taste of pink pepper, more delicate than black or white pepper, makes it suitable for seasoning recipes with even more delicate ingredients. The suggestion is to use it sparingly, given its intense aroma, and never overcook it.

To be used after a light toasting in a pan or at the end of cooking, or even better on cold dishes, there are also various preparations of pink pepper that go beyond simple use as ground spice; from pink pepper in brine to be prepared for use in yogurt sauces and soft cheese creams, to pink pepper gin and tonic for an extraordinary cocktail, this spice can be an extremely versatile ingredient.

In South America, it is also used in the preparation of pulque, an alcoholic beverage made from agave, but there are several recipes where using pink pepper adds an unusual and intense touch. Particularly suitable for delicate meats such as fish and carpaccio, like salmon or sea bass, its use in Creole, a blend of white pepper, black pepper, pink pepper, green pepper, and pimento, is very common.

Although it combines harmoniously with other spices, such as fennel seeds, anise, ginger, thyme, juniper, to enjoy it at its best, it is recommended to use it on dishes without other spices.

Aroma and Flavor

The aroma and taste of pink pepper are very distinctive. As already mentioned, it is a spice with an intense, pungent, sweet, and peppery aroma. These characteristics make it great for enriching both sweet and savory dishes. It is not spicy like classic peppers, rather its taste resembles that of juniper berries, with a hint of lemon or lemongrass, mint, and sweet notes similar to honey. To appreciate it better, use it dried and crushed.

Pink Pepper: Recipes

The uses of pink pepper in cooking in recipes are varied: from pairings with meats and delicate-tasting fish fillets, to adding pink pepper berries to pasta, to preparing a pink pepper sauce, let's discover together the best recipes with pink pepper.

Filet with Pink Pepper

Pink pepper can be paired with meat fillets, pork or beef, for a delicate and refined dish to offer as a variation to the classic green peppercorn filet. A very simple dish to prepare that lends itself to the use of pink pepper, given that beef fillet has a very short cooking time and allows you to appreciate the potential of the spice with pink berries. The ingredients are:

• Beef fillet
• Pink peppercorns
• One clove of garlic
• Cooking cream
• A sprig of rosemary
• A knob of butter
• Half a glass of white wine

To prepare it, just sear the fillet in butter flavored with garlic and rosemary and prepare a pink pepper sauce using the cooking juices deglazed with white wine, cream, and adding the pink pepper, our spice that will give a slightly spicy but very fragrant flavor to the dish.

In this recipe pink pepper should be used in grains but you can crush or lightly crush some with a knife in order to better release the flavor of the spice.

Many do not like the use of cream, and are looking for alternatives to this recipe for a fillet with pink pepper without cream. Although it pairs very well with these ingredients, cream is not a fundamental element. An equally tasty variation to fillet with pink pepper could be, for example, a pork or chicken escalope with pink pepper, prepared by adding the pink pepper to the classic preparation towards the end of cooking.

Salmon with Pink Pepper

Pink pepper on fish is one of the most classic pairings made with this spice. Salmon is particularly suited to be enriched by this berry in recipes that see it both cooked in slices or fillets and raw, in a carpaccio. An ideal preparation is the salmon fillet with pink pepper, prepared with a simple and light oven cooking and the addition of parsley and pink pepper. It can also be an extra element to accompany carpaccio in addition to the usual dressing based on oil and lemon, and it pairs very well with smoked salmon. Try making marinated salmon with pink pepper!

Lime and Pink Pepper Chips

Lime and pink pepper chips are becoming increasingly popular and one of the best recipes with pink pepper grains that allow you to appreciate the strong and flavorful taste, for a tasty side dish suitable to accompany meat or fish dishes, or as an alternative to classic chips, paired with a hamburger.

The recipe for lime and pink pepper chips includes the following ingredients:

• Potatoes washed and peeled
• One green lime
• Pink peppercorns
• Salt
• Frying oil

Preparation:

• Cut the potatoes and immerse them for a few minutes in cold water, drain and dry them thoroughly.
• In a pan, heat the olive oil and fry the potatoes over medium heat.
• Grind the pink pepper separately. Being a false pepper, it will not give a too spicy taste, so it can be used in quantity. Grate the lime zest and add it to the pink pepper, and salt.
• Once the potatoes are fully cooked, drain them and absorb excess oil and season them with the lime and pink pepper mixture.

This combination is particularly popular and can be replicated in other preparations, such as on pasta. Try it in a dish of vermicelli with lime and pink pepper for a summer and intense flavor.

How to Store Pink Pepper

The storage of pink pepper is a very important process to preserve not only the aroma and the flavor but also the therapeutic properties. For storage, we recommend storing the pink pepper in glass jars protected from sunlight or heat sources, in a cool and dry place. In the case of pink pepper berries, it will be possible to preserve them in brine of water and salt, using only the necessary quantity without having to rinse them before use.

Side Effects and Contraindications: Is Pink Pepper Safe?

No contraindications have been found in the use of pink pepper, being an element used in traditional medicine, but it should be remembered that pink berries should be consumed in moderate quantities as they contain slightly toxic substances.

Where to Buy Pink Pepper

If you are looking for high-quality pink pepper or wondering where to buy it, Terza Luna is the answer for you! In the online store of Terza Luna, we have pink pepper available for online purchase directly from Brazil, the original place of the plant with pink berries. Our pink pepper is of the best quality and buying it is very simple, in just a few clicks you can choose from different sizes.

Pink Pepper: Price

On the online shop of Terza Luna, you can buy pink pepper in different sizes at an affordable price. Three available sizes for every need:

• Pink Pepper in grains 50 g for the price of € 3.50
• Pink Pepper in grains 100 g for the price of € 7.00
• Pink Pepper in grains 250 g for the price of € 14.90

Dozens of exquisite peppers from around the world: Discover them on Terza Luna

On Terza Luna, you can buy pink pepper online and dozens of other rare quality peppers, selected during our travels around the world. Discover them all here:

• Mix of exquisite peppers 
• Green Pepper
• White Pepper
• Pimento or Jamaican Pepper
• Tasmanian Pepper
• Sichuan Pepper
• Long Pepper
• Madagascar Pepper
• Black Tellicherry Pepper
• Ethiopian Pepper
• Cubebe Pepper

The section online peppers  on Terza Luna is rich in rare and organic products. They will enrich your kitchen and your recipes with flavors from distant countries and ancient traditions.

South American Spices for Sale Online

If you have enjoyed the pink pepper grains for sale on Terza Luna, come and discover our wide range of South American spices!