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.
Anyone who loves mackerel will love this savory riyet with capers and olives. A wonderful appetizer even on a slice of grain bread for Breakfast, even in tartlets on the buffet table.
Today I suggest cooking baked potatoes based on the famous French vegetable dish Ratatouille. The dish turns out to be beautiful, delicious, flavorful and suitable for serving not only for a family feast, but also for the arrival of guests.
The first frosts, Brrrr…, so we will prepare a fragrant thick soup on beef broth, with chickpeas and corn, with celery and eggplant. It is better to fill it with Oriental spices-sumac and Zira, the most suitable. Recommend.
In my family, these cutlets have long taken root. With this set of vegetables, the chicken breast absolutely does not dry out when frying and the cutlets are juicy, fragrant and very appetizing in appearance. These cutlets are popular with children because of the bright pieces of vegetable filler. They are prepared quickly enough. Buy chicken fillet is not a problem, and some vegetables can be found in any refrigerator. So cooking chicken cutlets with vegetables for dinner will not be difficult.
White cabbage soup with melted cheese and meatballs will appeal not only to adults, but also to children. It will take 40-45 minutes to prepare it, and the result will surprise you. I found the recipe on a German website, changed it a little and my family liked it. Make this quick and easy soup and you won’t regret it!
Very tasty and satisfying eggplant rolls with minced meat. They are prepared quickly and easily. This dish can be served on a festive table as an appetizer, as well as a hot dish for dinner. Try to cook this dish, you will definitely like it.
I offer you a recipe for fragrant and juicy rolls of quail fillet. How much of that fillet is there? That’s enough. How do I get it? Come on in, I’ll tell you. As a result, you will get a wonderful quail without a single bone, which will be convenient and pleasant to eat!
I want to treat you to a delicious dish of chicken legs. Pitted, with cheese, Basil and sun-dried tomatoes. And to garnish with fragrant bulgur with vegetables and chicken broth, soaked in juice from hams.
