LONG pepper
This pepper is also sometimes called the Indian long pepper or pipli. The oldest known reference to long pepper comes from ancient Indian textbooks of Ayurveda, where its medicinal and dietary uses are described in detail. It reached Greece in the sixth or fifth century BCE, though Hippocrates discussed it as a medicament rather than a spice.
As well as using Long pepper to season food or boos flavors in sauces and broths, it also works well as a rub. It has a slightly sweet floral scent, with a bit of a bite, especially if cooked for a long time. We recommend using this pepper with dark meat, vegetables, compotes, desserts, fruit dishes. We suggest you just crush it and allow the sharpness to infuse into curries, vegetarian, and slow food recipes.
Produced in Indonesia
We suggest you just crush it and allow the sharpness to infuse into curries, vegetarian, and slow food recipes.
Long peppers pair well with foods with distinctive, nuanced flavors, like artichokes, asparagus, and mushrooms.
Long pepper tastes like black, green, and white pepper but is hotter.
It has a slightly sweet floral scent.
45g / 1.59oz jar
What is Long Pepper, and where does it come from?
A blooming vine in the Piperaceae family, LONG PEPPER (Piper longum), also sometimes referred to as Indian long pepper or thippali. The plant is mainly grown for its dried fruit, which is used as a spice and flavoring.
The pepper's fruit is made up of numerous tiny berries, each approximately the size of a poppy seed, embedded in a flower spike resembling the catkin of a hazel tree. The fruits' spicy flavor results from the alkaloid piperine, also present in Piper nigrum.
Long pepper is first mentioned in ancient Indian Ayurvedic texts, where its therapeutic and culinary properties are extensively discussed. It arrived in Greece around the sixth or fifth century BCE. However, Hippocrates only mentioned it as a medicament, not a spice.
Prior to the European discoveries of the American continents, long pepper was a significant and well-known spice among the Greeks and Romans.
Long pepper was famous before the discovery of the American continent and the chili pepper, which the Spanish termed pimiento (using their word for long pepper). Chili peppers, some of which resemble long peppers in shape and flavor when dried, were more straightforward to produce in various European environments.
Long peppers are now unusual in ordinary commerce. From ancient Rome through Renaissance Europe, long pepper was extensively used in kitchens alongside (and frequently mistaken for) regular black pepper. But long pepper was pushed out of the culinary spotlight by introducing chiles from the New World and the ascent of black pepper.
What does Long Pepper taste like?
Compared to black pepper, it has a far more nuanced flavor that is more reminiscent of spice combinations like garam masala than a single spice. It has the heat and scent of black pepper but in a softer, more delicate sense, softened by the sweet undertones of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom. In contrast to black pepper's sting, long pepper soothes the tongue and lingers with a tobacco-like coolness in the end.
Due to their complexity, long peppers pair well with foods with distinctive, nuanced flavors, like springtime favorites like artichokes, asparagus, and mushrooms. These are best prepared simply with freshly ground long pepper added at the last end to maintain its flavor. In addition, long pepper is the ideal supplementary spice for salads and sweet foods at this time of year when mangoes are in season.
Long pepper is simple to mill in a spice grinder. It can be used in place of black pepper when a sweeter, spicier accent is needed, either finely crushed or cracked.
Additionally, long pepper responds remarkably well to barbeque's smoky, lusty advances. Long pepper would be a great addition to any dry rub; pork, beef, and lamb go well with its garam masala-like spices. To add significant depth and tasty heat to your spice blends, think of it as the link between black pepper and chilies.
How to use Long Pepper?
Despite being a common element in European cuisines throughout the Middle Ages in spice blends like "strong powder," long pepper is still used in some North African spice blends, Indian and Nepalese vegetable pickles, Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines, and some Indonesian and Malaysian dishes.
Long pepper should be used like you would any other spice. It can be added to savory pastries, blended into soups, spiked into Southeast Asian noodle bowls or fried rice, and more.
When using the long pepper in recipes that call for a smoother spice, grind it beforehand; otherwise, use it whole in heartier meals like stew or curry.
Depending on the required heat level, long pepper can be substituted for other peppers one for one. In light of this, Indian long pepper has a milder heat than chili peppers, more of an earthy heat that permeates the palate and quickly evaporates.
An easy yet fun recipe to try out with our Long Pepper:
Classic Thai Chicken Fried RiceThis is a fun and easy recipe for your next dinner. Classic fried rice with chicken and our Long Pepper will spice up your dinner table with its deliciousness. One to cook and enjoy together with your kids!
You will need:
- 4 to 5 cups of cooked rice, preferably made a day earlier
- 1 boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons of chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
- 1 long pepper, grinded
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 4 spring onions, sliced with white and green parts, separated
- 3 to 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 red pepper, cut into thin slices
- 5 to 7 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped into small pieces
- 1 small stalk of celery, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 1 large egg
- Thai sweet chile sauce, for serving
Do so:
- Use a teaspoon or two of oil on your fingertips to separate clumps of cold leftover rice back into individual grains.
- One tablespoon of soy sauce should be added to a bowl with the chopped chicken. Stir thoroughly and set aside.
- Combine the lime juice, sugar, white pepper, 2 tablespoons of leftover soy sauce, fish sauce, and chicken stock. Place aside.
- A wok or sizable frying pan should be heated at high or medium-high heat. Add the white sections of the spring onions, the garlic, and the chile after drizzling in 2 tablespoons of oil and swirling it around.
- After one minute of stirring, add the chicken. Stir-fry the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it becomes equally opaque.
- Stir-fry the mushrooms and celery for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are cooked (celery should stay crunchy). Add a little more oil if your wok or pan gets too dry.
- Add the rice while maintaining high heat. Use a spatula or another flat cooking implement to stir-fry the rice, turning it gently as you go.
- Add the stir-fry sauce gradually, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time. Once all the sauce has been added, stir-fry for an additional 6 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the frozen peas after adding them. Then move everything aside to expose the pan's core.
- Add the egg, stir-fry, and scramble it right away.
- Stir-fry everything together for 2 minutes over high heat, or until the rice is fluffy and separates easily into grains.
- Once the desired flavor is obtained, remove it from the heat and taste test. If necessary, add a little more fish sauce. Add a squeeze of lime juice if it's overly salty. Add the green onion pieces you saved on top.
- Serve with Thai chile sauce on the side for those who prefer their food spicy.
Enjoy! :)