Zanzibar taught me a lot.
First of, I was shocked at the juxtapositions in Zanzibar as a ‘destination’ – rural, underdeveloped in parts and upscale at the same time with the most stunning beaches and resorts ever. I found it uncomfortable. This was ten years ago though, I haven’t been back since, and I hope things change and have improved.
While I was there, I visited a spice farm which to date is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Learning and seeing how spices one is familiar with are grown, what they look like in the ground, fresh, full of life was a reminder that everything has a story, a history, origins, and exists in multiple contexts.
Zanzibar is famous for its spices. I learnt so much about them – that vanilla pods start out green, yellow when ripe before they are cooked and shade-dried when they turn brown. Who knew? That nutmeg comes in a case with a wrapper of mace and it can have narcotic effects such that women use it to ‘relax’;
And that the 4 sorts of peppercorns we know come from two plants at different stages of maturity.
In the beginning, we have green and red peppercorns. These young uns transform to make the others. Black peppercorns are the dried, more mature version of green peppercorns and white peppercorns are the dried, more mature, skinned red peppercorns. I did not know all of this before Zanzibar.
Green peppercorns
Fresh, herby, clean flavour. They are the beginning of the lot – harvested early while still being green, and unripe. You’ll find them fresh, dried, and commonly, brined or pickled in little bunches.
I’ve used green peppercorns in a number of recipes like a Tomato Essence where the clean, briny notes add gentle spice to the almost-crystal broth.
Black peppercorns
Next are the black ones which come from the green. They are the most popular peppercorns. They are plucked green and unripe, then briefly cooked in hot water to clean them, and to kickstart the browning process. They are then (sun)dried. During the drying process, the shrivel and wrinkle and darken producing the black peppercorns we know with a strong, spicy flavour.
White peppercorns
White peppercorns are skinned black peppercorns – soaked in water, the skins soften and are removed. They are a touch spicy like their black hosts.
Penja pepper is a well-known white peppercorn known also by the French name poivre de Penja. It is cultivated in the volcanic soils of Cameroon.
They are commonly fermented for use in Chinese cuisine where it is known as bái hújiāo (白胡椒).
Red peppercorns
These true red peppercorns are rare. They ripen on the vine and shouldn’t be confused with pink peppercorns even though they make look similar. They are not related. True red peppercorns come from the piper nigrum vine while pink peppercorns are ripe berries from Peruvian (schinus molle) and Brazilian (schinus terebinthifolius) trees (part of the Anacardiaceae family that have mangoes, pistachios, and cashews).
* Bonus – Pink peppercorns
I figured I should also say a bit more about pink peppercorns, and their fruity, floral notes. It’s not difficult to see why pink peppercorns are thought to be in the same family as the other peppercorns – similar sizes, and flavour notes contribute to that. I’ve used them in a variety of ways including dressing a fruit salad of mangoes and melons where they lend a pop of colour.
Do you have a favorite peppercorn? How do you use it?
