Spice
Black pepper
Also called pepper, Tellicherry pepper
The dried berry of Piper nigrum, picked nearly ripe and dried until the skin wrinkles black. White pepper is the same berry with the skin removed — muskier.
Origin
The vine is native to the Malabar coast of south India and was one of the spices that pulled ships across oceans.
Flavour
Pine, citrus, heat that blooms in the nose more than on the tongue. Old ground pepper smells of cardboard and sneezes without tasting of anything.
How to use it
Crack it over carbonara and cacio e pepe as a main flavour, not a garnish — toast the cracked pepper briefly in the rendered fat so it blooms, then loosen with pasta water. In adobo, whole peppercorns simmer in vinegar and soy. For steaks, crack at the end if you want perfume, or crust the meat before a sear if you want charred spice. Salt and pepper are not a pair you must always add together — taste first.
Storage
Whole peppercorns in a mill or jar, away from light.
Recipes using it
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