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.
A very spicy and delicious snack. This bean combines all flavors, from the sweetness of plums to the sharpness of pepper and garlic and the sourness of lemons and tomatoes. Try this fireworks to taste, it will not leave you indifferent. It is very well suited to fish and meat dishes.
This is such a delicious baked meat that my husband talks about it and asks me to cook more. I think that says it all. Very tasty, fragrant, tender, juicy.
I am absolutely delighted!!! I bring to your attention the tenderest pork meat, which is prepared insanely simply, and you will need a minimum of dishes, because the oven will do everything for you! The meat turns out to be 100% tender! I never thought that I could cook such juicy meat myself.
A simple but delicious salad. After cooking it, you will enjoy the taste of fresh vegetables and cheese balls. Feel free to prepare this salad for a romantic dinner. You will be happy.
A very simple and delicious snack. These balls always attract attention and are the first to disappear from the table. If you stick a skewer in each, you will get an ideal option for gatherings in the buffet format.
A very juicy and bright vitamin salad that perfectly harmonizes with sour cream dressing! An indispensable ingredient in the preparation of salads is raisins! I recommend it to everyone without exception! It’s really delicious!
Krautsalat is a pickled cabbage of instant cooking. It turned out to be a very tasty, slightly sweet, crispy and juicy salad!!! I will cook more than once! The balance of sweet and sour was chosen for themselves. The salad is not troublesome, it is ideal for meat dishes instead of a side dish.
The delicate, velvety consistency of the soup is deliberately emphasized by the sharp cheese taste of crispy sticks – this is “bellissimo”. Try to cook and enjoy.
I found a lot of salads with cucumbers on the site, but I didn’t find this recipe, so I decided to share it. This is another recipe from the collection of recipes of the wonderful St. Petersburg chef Ilya Lazerson. The salad is prepared in a few minutes, but, despite its simplicity, it has a very fresh taste that goes well with fried fish and meat. In addition, it looks quite original and can become a decoration for any table.