Organic Ground Black Pepper Medium Grind

Description

When dried, its fruit is known as a peppercorn. Both the whole peppercorn and the ground peppercorn are frequently referred to as simply ‘pepper’. Black pepper, Piper nigrum, from the family Piperaceae, is a flowering vine that is cultivated for its fruit.

This is our second most popular organic ground pepper, with fine grind being the most popular, and this medium grind is preferred by most home cooks. Pepper's biting heat comes from piperine which is found in both the outer fruit layer and the seed. The outer fruit layer also contains terpenes (pronounced “tur peans”), which provide the instantly recognizable citrusy, floral and woody notes. A good quality black pepper contains between 4.6% and 9.7% piperine. Pepper loses its strong aroma and mildly spicy flavor through evaporation, and once ground pepper’s flavor and aroma dissipate relatively quickly. Because of this, we grind all of our pepper several times a week for optimum flavor and maximum shelf life.

Our medium grind pepper is considered a 20/30 mesh size.

History and Cultivation

Native to the Malabar region on the Western Coast of South India, black pepper was introduced to Europe more than 3,000 years ago, with the earliest records appearing in ancient Greek and Roman texts. By 1000 BC, Muslim traders had established a monopoly on pepper by controlling the spice trade routes (the most famous being called Silk Road) from East Asia to the Mediterranean.

From 400-1400 AD powerful spice brokers in Genoa and Venice Italy controlled the spice trade once pepper reached the Mediterranean. By the mid 15th century, Europeans had become increasingly tired of paying such high prices for pepper, and that was the impetus of the spice exploration era of Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake and others. These explorers where looking for more cost effective ways to get pepper and other spices into Europe, while bypassing both the Arabs and the Italians.

Once these alternative trade routes were established, prices dropped and pepper's popularity exploded and at one time accounted for almost 70% of the total volume of traded spices.
In total volume, pepper has remained the world's most valuable spice (although not the most expensive). Today, peppercorns are grown in Brazil, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam with Vietnam being the world's largest producer of commercially grown peppercorns with 45%-55% of the market.

Black, White and Green Peppercorns can all be harvested from the same plant. The fruit, when left on the vine to completely develop matures to a dark red color and is approximately 2/10” in diameter.

Black Peppercorns are harvested when they are almost fully ripened (and have started turning a reddish color). Once picked the peppercorns are laid out to dry and during the drying process turn a brownish black color. White Peppercorns are picked as the berries begin to ripen, when they are yellowish red or red in color. The outer shell is then removed by soaking the peppercorns in water. Green peppercorns are picked in the immature fruit stage and then dried.

Depending on the time of year, our Organic Black Peppercorns are sourced from India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Our black peppercorns are harvested a bit earlier in the growing process as this provides a more distinct, sharp flavor.

Where to Use

Good with chicken, eggs, fish, pork, salads, soup, strawberries and tomatoes.

Works well in combination with basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, parsley, rosemary, thyme and turmeric.

Flavor Profile

The flavor is clean, a bit hot and has a biting aftertaste. The aroma is pungent and fruity with warm lemony undertones.

Helpful Hints

We also offer organic ground black pepper in cracked (6-10 mesh), coarse (16-20 mesh) and fine (30-60 mesh) grinds.

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