The Essential Ingredient
It’s very few savoury dishes that aren’t finished with a grind of the peppermill, whether into the pot or over the plate. Pepper is an essential part of most cuisines, and is something no chef would ever dream of being without.
The Essential Ingredient stocks a range of pepper products, including black, white, pink and green peppercorns, and green peppercorns in brine.
But what is the real difference between the varieties and colours, and how can you best use them to bring your recipe to life?
Most peppercorns are the dried fruit of the ‘black pepper’ plant. This fruit (known as ‘drupes’) is picked when still unripe and green, cooked quickly, then dried.
The simplest and most common of these processes produces the black peppercorn, the skin of the fruit darkening during the drying process.
White peppercorns are produced from the same fruit, the darker skin having been removed before drying.
The lighter colour is preferred by some chefs in creamy sauces, mashed potatoes, salads or other dishes in which the black flecks of common black pepper may affect the finished presentation.
The skin of the peppercorn also carries a strong flavour, so white peppercorns, without this skin, can have slightly different flavour characteristics to their black counterparts.
Dried green peppercorns go through the same production process as black peppercorns, though a treatment process is added before drying to allow the fruit to retain its natural green colour.
Green peppercorns are also available in brine, being the undried fruit, and carry a fresher aroma. They are a popular ingredient in Thai cuisine.
Pink peppercorns are similarly processed, but are actually the fruit of a different plant; Peruvian pepper. Their flavour and cooking properties are closest in similarity to green peppercorns, though they are more likely to lose their skins when being crushed.
While many recipes differentiate between the various peppercorns for presentation purposes, they can also have subtly varying effects on the flavour of a dish.
A pink peppercorn sauce with cream and tomatoes, for example, is wonderful with poached chicken, where the flavour from the same amount of black pepper would become overpowering.
Neil Perry uses fresh green peppercorns with chicken braised in master stock. They also add a fresh, surprising bite to Malaysian curries.
Salt and pepper squid loves white pepper, the slightly mellower bite working perfectly with seafood.
Sweet pastries and fruit salads take on surprising vibrancy with a few crushed pink peppercorns added.
For crusts on beef or tuna, try using a mix of peppercorns instead of only black.
With a collection of various peppercorns in your kitchen, you can add a degree of artistry to your seasoning.
*
The Essential Ingredient stocks whole dried black, white, pink and green peppercorns, as well as green peppercorns in brine. We also stock a dried peppercorn mix, which will add a flash of colour as you pass the pepper grinder around the dinner table.
The Essential Ingredient also stocks a wide range of classic and cutting-edge pepper grinders, for kitchen and table.
To confirm availability of a specific product, contact your nearest Essential Ingredient store.
Tell us what you think