Black pepper blooms with small white flowers collected in hanging ears. The fruits of black pepper are spherical drupes with a hard shell, having a burning taste.
The birthplace of black pepper is the southwest coast of India, the current state of Kerala. Previously, these lands were called the land of pepper, and pepper itself was called the Malabar berry.
How to Choose Black Pepper?
When choosing ground black pepper, you should pay attention to the taste and color of the grinding. Fresh seasoning is always sharp and has a strong aroma, as it contains a large amount of piperine and essential oils. The color of high-quality ground pepper is heterogeneous, it consists of particles of light brown, greenish and gray shades. A uniform yellow, gray or black color indicates a large amount of impurities that manufacturers sometimes add to reduce the cost of goods. The black color of ground pepper may also indicate the use of unripe or rotten peas.
How to Store Black Pepper?
Ground pepper is recommended to be stored in a dry and dark place, away from strongly smelling products. Essential oils evaporate especially quickly from the finely ground seasoning, therefore, so that it does not lose its taste qualities, it should be kept in a hermetically sealed container. The room temperature should not exceed +25 °C.
When to Use Black Pepper?
Black pepper is one of the most effective digestive stimulants. This versatile seasoning is able to decorate any dish, starting from ordinary scrambled eggs and ending with masterpieces of haute cuisine. Food manufacturers add this spice to meat and sausage products, cheeses, canned food and marinades.
Spice is a mandatory component of most recipes of meat and fish dishes. It is added to soups and second courses of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and also used in the preparation of homemade sausage, ham and pates. Seasoning perfectly complements dishes of mushrooms and vegetables, no brine or marinade can do without it. Somewhat less often, black pepper is added to drinks and desserts.
How Much Black Pepper Should I Use?
A standard-sized teaspoon holds about 4 grams of ground black pepper.
When preparing soups and broths, ground pepper is added 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking. When cooking fried dishes, pieces of meat or fish are sprinkled with pepper and salt before roasting. Seasoning is added to the raw minced meat during the stirring process.
The amount of spice depends on the intended volume of the dish and personal preferences.
It is usually customary to use from ¼ to 1 teaspoon per 1 kg of meat. The maximum dose of ground black pepper per day per person should not exceed 5 grams.
What Spices are Combined with Black Pepper?
Despite the fact that in the mind of any person, the phrase “salt and pepper” evokes an image of perfect harmony, a truly wonderful combination is obtained by mixing ground black pepper with turmeric. Curcumin, which is part of it, is similar in its action to piperine — it is also an antiseptic, an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent.
Black pepper is perfectly combined with most spices, and is part of all popular mixes. It harmonizes well with cumin, garlic, coriander, as well as with its closest “relatives” — white, green and pink pepper.
Alternatives to Black Pepper
With individual intolerance to ground black pepper, it can be replaced with spices that have a similar bitter taste — cumin, mustard, coriander seeds, nutmeg. To make the dishes spicy, in the absence of allergies, you can use chili — paprika, cayenne, jalapeno.
Tips for Using Black Pepper
In combination with cinnamon and ginger, ground black pepper is added to desserts to give them a spicy taste. It is especially appropriate for the preparation of gingerbread and cupcakes, chocolate desserts, pies with apple and citrus filling, cookies.
This spice will give a peculiar taste to well—known drinks – it is added to milk tea, compotes, mulled wine and alcoholic cocktails.
To create a light, spicy salad dressing, ground pepper is mixed in various combinations with natural yogurt, honey, mustard, vinegar or lemon juice.
Vegetables baked under a delicious cheese and cream crust. The recipe for this dish is simply delicious. It will look great on your holiday table. And the guests will ask you for the recipe.
I have one favorite recipe, which is low-calorie, dietary, but very tasty and beautiful. Perhaps it will be kind to you, because festive food should be delicious and light.
The recipe for this dietary dish is very easy and unpretentious. The taste of chicken and broccoli is tender, melting in the mouth. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Girls, this is the second time I bake this pie, but my family and I really like it. The pie turns out to be extremely tasty and juicy. Such juiciness is given by broccoli and cottage cheese. I recommend cooking it – you won’t regret it!
Peking cabbage is a valuable dietary product. It has negligible calories (only 12 per 100 g), which contributes to weight loss, and a huge amount of nutrients! This vegetable is especially rich in vitamin PP. Its lack leads to increased nervous excitability. This vitamin is found only in rye bread and radish, so it is especially important to use Peking cabbage for those who do not eat bread.
Potato salad, sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers. Something like a salad without beetroot. It is prepared in a few minutes. You just need to boil the potatoes in advance. Salad, or side dish, or an independent dish. Good in any quality.
It is prepared quickly, when ready, not soft porridge, but hard crispy strips. Having discovered this recipe, I exhausted all the zucchini in the garden. The taste is sour and salty.
Chicken fillet baked with vegetables and cheese. A beautiful, bright and appetizing dish that is prepared very simply and quickly. But for all its simplicity, it will look decent on a festive table.
One of my favorite salads. Nutritious and gentle. I never salt this salad. Cucumbers, mushrooms and cheese give the right taste. There is a similar salad on the website, but this one is different.
