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.
Roast beef is fried beef in English. The variety and quality of the meat, the weight of the piece and the degree of roasting are of great importance for cooking this dish. I have everything much simpler, a small piece of steamed beef, pepper and salt, a little time and “a La roast beef” on the dining table. The main thing is to cook with inspiration.
I love Greece, its national traditions and, of course, great Greek cuisine! Today I propose to prepare a salad-appetizer of grilled vegetables and meatballs (small fried meatballs). If you are interested, I invite you to Sunny and hospitable Greece.
Nothing else is needed in this salad, just fill it with a spicy dressing, infuse a little in the refrigerator and serve. Excellent-with meat. Useful, vitamin-rich and very fresh!
Wonderful chicken roll with cheese and spices. It is done easily, quickly and turns out very tasty. It looks great on a holiday table, you can also take it with you to work or on a picnic.
I offer you an unusual cutlet of chicken leg meat with potatoes and cheese. The cutlets are delicious, with a crispy crust on top and a tender chicken inside. You can serve them with vegetable salads, and with a side dish, or as an independent dish. These cutlets look very original and can decorate your holiday table.
Casserole-potato roll with minced meat and cheese. From the products, as they say, “at hand” you can cook beautiful and delicious. A little different cutting and shaping, and on the table a beautiful and delicious dish. Most importantly, cook with inspiration.
I offer a quick, simple, beautiful and very delicious recipe for stuffed mushrooms. This dish will decorate any festive table, guests will be delighted!
The salad is very tasty, not troublesome and not expensive for products. P.S.: the Weight of the products is specified in the purified form, because the concept of “average” is different for everyone, respectively, and it will affect the taste.
