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.
Spicy potatoes with fried wild mushrooms and onions, baked in the oven under the crust of a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese. Potatoes with mushrooms from the oven are many people’s favorite dish. Try this option as well. Now autumn is the season for a variety of wild mushroom dishes, hearty, fragrant and delicious.
An amazing dish of ordinary potatoes. Scattered like hot cakes. I liked them with coffee. You can make more and then reheat before serving. Or form blanks and fry later when there is time.
Today I want to share with you a recipe for cooking funchosa with shrimp and vegetables. You will learn how to cook glass noodles with seafood delicious and simple.
We tried this dish for the first time in Turkey. Although I don’t like fish at all, but I liked the taste of this treat and my whole family! Very quickly fried in a boiling deep-fry, the inside remains indescribably tender and juicy, and the crispy crust adds additional flavor notes. I hope you like it!
Today we are preparing very tasty, tender zucchini pancakes. The filling will be made of minced meat, it turns out a very delicious dinner, which no one will refuse. If someone in your family does not eat zucchini, then everyone will eat it in this form, I assure you!
The meat of a domestic goat is my recent discovery! Goat meat, in my opinion, is one of the most delicious types of meat. Contrary to prejudice, it does not have any specific smell. And the taste is something between beef and venison, but closer to venison. Raw meat has the smell of fresh milk, and cooked meat has the smell of simply delicious meat. Of course, you can’t find such meat in a supermarket, you need a seller from a private farmstead. If you are ever lucky enough to find homemade goat meat, then remember this simple and delicious recipe!
Hello everyone. This time I cooked “Chicken thigh, with cheese tomatoes on zucchini”. I think that this is both a full-fledged dish and an appetizer. This dish is prepared quite simply, but it turns out delicious, although I don’t really like zucchini. Also, you can prepare a side dish for this dish, if desired! Thank you all for your attention, all the best.
Perhaps, there is hardly a person who does not like chicken dishes. I found this recipe on the Internet on the page “Delicious Israel”. Adding a few ingredients, it turned out to be a very tasty and easy-to-prepare dish.