Pepper varieties and their aroma

Pepper varieties - Particular types of pepper

There is a large variety of unique types of pepper. The plant family of the pepper family includes over 700 species. How do the 700 species look like? You can find some with us. Do you know Assam pepper, for example? It looks like a blackberry. Real red Kampot pepper? Voatsiperifery, Kubeben stalk pepper or long pepper? These are all gourmet pepper types that we would like to introduce to you. We don't have all of them yet, but we're always looking for new taste experiences. Join us on this culinary journey and be won over by these new varieties. Bring them to life in your pepper mills and surprise guests and friends with your blends.

How does pepper taste? Are there any taste differences in a pepper?

There are taste differences in pepper, not only in their spiciness but also in their aroma. Anyone who has accidentally bitten a peppercorn knows that they can be very spicy. Not everyone likes this, and some people might think because they don't want to eat hot, that they don't need pepper to cook. But that's wrong. It is crucial for the aroma. The black pepper, for example, gives your dishes the round, earthy note they need, because the flavorings are in the pepper's fruit bowl. Black and green pepper have up to 4.8% and white pepper only 2.5% pepper oil.

The alkaloid piperine and its derivatives are responsible for the sharpness in pepper. These are essential oils in the peppercorn. Different varieties have different compositions and, therefore, different flavors. The range of characters in pepper is enormous. From slightly hot to scorching (long pepper), there are many nuances in the aroma from sweet to fruity to bitter.

In our online shop, you will find an aroma profile for every pepper we offer. You will also find suggestions for what it fits. These are just suggestions. Be brave and try it out. You can't go wrong. Slowly feel your way through the flavors by first using small amounts and trying as you like. After a while, you will find that you will come up with more and more ideas about how to eat a specific variety. I want to give you an additional tip along the way. Grind or mortar, your pepper always fresh, so you get the full aroma.

The pepper plant

The pepper plant is a sensitive climbing plant that only grows in the tropical climate. It needs constant humidity and lots of rain without standing in the water. It requires consistent warm temperatures. These climatic conditions only exist in the tropics. That is why the plant has spread around the equator. Today we find growing areas in these regions.

The pepper plant is a tropical climbing plant with a height of up to 10 meters in the wild. Here it grows up on trees of the jungle. On pepper plantations, however, it is grown on wooden posts, and its growth is limited to 3 meters. It also makes sense to make the harvest safer for the workers. The plant needs shade and lots of water. However, their roots must not be in the water; otherwise, they would start to rot and die. It is best to cultivate the pepper plant on hills so that the rainwater can drain off.

The pepper plant has slightly heart-shaped, leathery, green leaves. These reach a size of 20 cm in length with white flower spikes that have a range of approx: 3-15 cm and 50-150 single flowers. The plant is mostly hermaphrodite and therefore pollinates itself. After fertilization, the stone fruits, the pepper, emerge from the individual flowers. The pepper plant bears its fruits for the first time in the third year. From this point on, you can harvest the pepper twice a year. It can also be productive for up to 30 years.

Pepper plants are grown by growing cuttings. These cuttings are grown in the "pepper shop" until they are large enough to be transplanted to the plantation. Here they are planted next to stakes or dead tree trunks that serve as climbing aids.

Origin and primary producers of Pepper varieties

The pepper plant has its origin in southern India, today's Kerala state. Here it grows in the mountainous hinterland of the Malabar coast. It is also called the pepper coast.

In modern times, the pepper plant, which is a tropical tendril plant, is grown along the equator in many countries.

Leading producers of pepper:

• Vietnam with about 98 505 tons
• Indonesia with approx. 76 583 tons
• India with 60 588 tons
• Brazil with 51 546 tons
• China with 23 901 tons
• Malaysia with 22 653 tons
• Sri Lanka with 21 312 tons
• Thailand with 6 715 tons
• Mexico 4,723 tons
• Cameroon with 98 tons

Source FAOSTAT data for 2017

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Pepper cultivation & processing

History of the pepper

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