The market · Spices · South Asia
Black pepper
The dried, unripe berries of a climbing vine — heat and a piney perfume, and the most traded spice there is.
peppery · pungent · warm
What to do with it
ThaiKhua klingMinced meat dry-fried in a fierce southern curry paste until every crumb is coated, with shredded lime leaf — no coconut and no sauce.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseThịt khoPork belly and hard-boiled eggs braised in fish sauce, dark caramel and coconut water until glossy and brown.No one here has made it yetFilipinoLumpiaSpring rolls — most often thin, tight cigars of seasoned pork, fried crisp and dipped in sweet chilli sauce.No one here has made it yetFilipinoSisigPig's face and ears boiled, grilled and chopped fine with onion, chilli and calamansi, served on a sizzling iron plate.No one here has made it yetFilipinoChicken inasalChicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass and ginger, grilled over charcoal and basted with annatto oil.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangKawapChunks of lamb and fat on skewers, grilled over charcoal and dusted with cumin, chilli and salt.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangSamsaSquare parcels of thin dough filled with lamb, fat and onion, baked against the wall of the tonur until blistered and crisp.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangGosh nanTwo thin rounds of dough sealed around minced lamb and onion, then baked or pan-fried until crisp — a flat, meat-filled nan cut into wedges.No one here has made it yetJapaneseTonkatsuA thick pork cutlet in flour, egg and coarse panko, deep-fried until crisp, sliced, and served with shredded cabbage and a thick, fruity sauce.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniBikaneri bhujiaCrisp, thin threads of moth-bean and gram-flour dough, spiced with black pepper and ajwain and fried in oil.No one here has made it yetSri LankanKottu rotiFlatbread chopped on a hot griddle with two metal blades, tossed with vegetables, egg, meat and curry gravy.No one here has made it yetSri LankanFish ambul thiyalCubes of tuna cooked almost dry in a dark paste of goraka and black pepper, until each piece is coated.No one here has made it yetPersianJoojeh kababPieces of chicken marinated in saffron, lemon and onion, grilled over charcoal and eaten with rice and a charred tomato.No one here has made it yetPersianKabab koobidehMinced lamb and grated onion pressed by hand onto wide, flat skewers and grilled over coals — served on saffron rice with butter and sumac.No one here has made it yetTurkishİskender kebabThin slices of döner over cubes of pide, with tomato sauce, sizzling browned butter poured over at the table and thick yoghurt alongside.No one here has made it yet
GeorgianKhinkaliLarge pleated dumplings of spiced minced meat that fill with broth as they boil, eaten by hand.No one here has made it yetGeorgianMtsvadiChunks of pork or lamb skewered and grilled over the embers of vine cuttings, served with raw onion, pomegranate and tkemali.No one here has made it yetCape MalaySmoorsnoekFlaked salted or smoked snoek braised with onion, potato, tomato and chilli, eaten with rice and apricot jam.No one here has made it yetProvençalSoccaA thin chickpea-flour pancake baked in a very hot oven in a wide copper pan, eaten hot with black pepper.No one here has made it yetLyonnaisCervelle de canutFresh white cheese beaten with shallots, garlic, chives and parsley, a little oil and vinegar, eaten on bread.No one here has made it yetBurgundianJambon persilléChunks of ham set in a white wine jelly thick with parsley, sliced cold into a green and pink mosaic.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestConfit de canardDuck legs salted overnight, cooked slowly in their own fat until tender, then fried crisp to serve.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestMagret de canardThe thick breast of a duck raised for foie gras, scored, cooked skin-down until the fat renders, and served pink like a steak.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestFoie gras mi-cuitThe fattened liver of a duck or goose, seasoned and cooked just gently enough to set, then chilled and sliced with toast.No one here has made it yetGreekSpanakopitaSpinach and feta with spring onion and dill, baked in crisp layers of filo — as one big pie or small triangles.No one here has made it yet
PolishGołąbkiSoftened cabbage leaves rolled around minced pork and rice, then baked or simmered in tomato sauce.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunBoudinA soft sausage of pork, liver, rice, onion and spring onion, spiced with cayenne — squeezed from its casing and eaten on the go.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJerk chickenChicken steeped in a hot, fragrant paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, spring onion and thyme, then smoked slowly over pimento wood.No one here has made it yetJamaicanAckee and saltfishSoft, buttery ackee fruit sautéed with flaked salt cod, onion, tomato, peppers and scotch bonnet — Jamaica's national dish.No one here has made it yetJamaicanEscovitch fishWhole fried fish drenched in hot, peppery vinegar with onion, carrot, sweet pepper and scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJamaican beef pattyA half-moon of flaky, turmeric-yellow pastry filled with spiced, peppery minced beef.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseThịt khoPork belly and hard-boiled eggs braised in fish sauce, dark caramel and coconut water until glossy and brown.No one here has made it yetFilipinoLumpiaSpring rolls — most often thin, tight cigars of seasoned pork, fried crisp and dipped in sweet chilli sauce.No one here has made it yetFilipinoSisigPig's face and ears boiled, grilled and chopped fine with onion, chilli and calamansi, served on a sizzling iron plate.No one here has made it yetFilipinoChicken inasalChicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass and ginger, grilled over charcoal and basted with annatto oil.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangKawapChunks of lamb and fat on skewers, grilled over charcoal and dusted with cumin, chilli and salt.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangSamsaSquare parcels of thin dough filled with lamb, fat and onion, baked against the wall of the tonur until blistered and crisp.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangGosh nanTwo thin rounds of dough sealed around minced lamb and onion, then baked or pan-fried until crisp — a flat, meat-filled nan cut into wedges.No one here has made it yetJapaneseTonkatsuA thick pork cutlet in flour, egg and coarse panko, deep-fried until crisp, sliced, and served with shredded cabbage and a thick, fruity sauce.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniBikaneri bhujiaCrisp, thin threads of moth-bean and gram-flour dough, spiced with black pepper and ajwain and fried in oil.No one here has made it yetSri LankanKottu rotiFlatbread chopped on a hot griddle with two metal blades, tossed with vegetables, egg, meat and curry gravy.No one here has made it yetSri LankanFish ambul thiyalCubes of tuna cooked almost dry in a dark paste of goraka and black pepper, until each piece is coated.No one here has made it yetPersianJoojeh kababPieces of chicken marinated in saffron, lemon and onion, grilled over charcoal and eaten with rice and a charred tomato.No one here has made it yetPersianKabab koobidehMinced lamb and grated onion pressed by hand onto wide, flat skewers and grilled over coals — served on saffron rice with butter and sumac.No one here has made it yetTurkishİskender kebabThin slices of döner over cubes of pide, with tomato sauce, sizzling browned butter poured over at the table and thick yoghurt alongside.No one here has made it yetGeorgianKhinkaliLarge pleated dumplings of spiced minced meat that fill with broth as they boil, eaten by hand.No one here has made it yetGeorgianMtsvadiChunks of pork or lamb skewered and grilled over the embers of vine cuttings, served with raw onion, pomegranate and tkemali.No one here has made it yetCape MalaySmoorsnoekFlaked salted or smoked snoek braised with onion, potato, tomato and chilli, eaten with rice and apricot jam.No one here has made it yetProvençalSoccaA thin chickpea-flour pancake baked in a very hot oven in a wide copper pan, eaten hot with black pepper.No one here has made it yetLyonnaisCervelle de canutFresh white cheese beaten with shallots, garlic, chives and parsley, a little oil and vinegar, eaten on bread.No one here has made it yetBurgundianJambon persilléChunks of ham set in a white wine jelly thick with parsley, sliced cold into a green and pink mosaic.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestConfit de canardDuck legs salted overnight, cooked slowly in their own fat until tender, then fried crisp to serve.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestMagret de canardThe thick breast of a duck raised for foie gras, scored, cooked skin-down until the fat renders, and served pink like a steak.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestFoie gras mi-cuitThe fattened liver of a duck or goose, seasoned and cooked just gently enough to set, then chilled and sliced with toast.No one here has made it yetGreekSpanakopitaSpinach and feta with spring onion and dill, baked in crisp layers of filo — as one big pie or small triangles.No one here has made it yetPolishGołąbkiSoftened cabbage leaves rolled around minced pork and rice, then baked or simmered in tomato sauce.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunBoudinA soft sausage of pork, liver, rice, onion and spring onion, spiced with cayenne — squeezed from its casing and eaten on the go.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJerk chickenChicken steeped in a hot, fragrant paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, spring onion and thyme, then smoked slowly over pimento wood.No one here has made it yetJamaicanAckee and saltfishSoft, buttery ackee fruit sautéed with flaked salt cod, onion, tomato, peppers and scotch bonnet — Jamaica's national dish.No one here has made it yetJamaicanEscovitch fishWhole fried fish drenched in hot, peppery vinegar with onion, carrot, sweet pepper and scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJamaican beef pattyA half-moon of flaky, turmeric-yellow pastry filled with spiced, peppery minced beef.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Black
- Picked green and dried until the skin darkens and wrinkles.
- Green
- Unripe, brined or freeze-dried — fresh and mild.
- Tellicherry
- A grade of large, fully developed black berries.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Whole, and grind it as you go; ground pepper loses its aroma quickly.
- A little history
- Native to the Malabar coast of southern India, where the spice trade began.
Kitchens that keep it in
Xinjiang, north-western ChinaUyghur and XinjiangThe cooking of the desert oases in China's far north-west: lamb, cumin and chilli, hand-pulled noodles, pilaf, and breads baked on the walls of a clay oven.7 classicsSouth India — the southern peninsula, between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of BengalSouth IndianRice, lentils, coconut and tamarind: fermented batters, sour broths and a sizzle of mustard seed and curry leaves, from the tiffin that starts the day to the feast on a banana leaf.10 classicsSri Lanka — an island in the Indian Ocean, off the southern tip of IndiaSri LankanRice and curry, coconut and heat: an island's cooking of dark-roasted spice, sour goraka and fierce sambols, shaped by Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher kitchens.10 classics