Different Types Of Pepper:

Spice Up Your Life

Page 6: Pepper Glossary K To L

JAMAICA PEPPER (or Allspice or
Kababchini or Myrtle Pepper or Pimento)
Jamaica Pepper is the dried, unripe berry of a bushy evergreen tree, Pimenta dioica, of the family Myrtaceae. The dried berries have an appearance similar to large peppercorns and share some similar spicy characteristics: They are sometimes added to peppercorn blends. The corns are highly perfumed: The name “allspice” was coined by the English, who found the berry to have the flavor of black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg all rolled into one. These flavor complexities deliver on the palate as well. Allspice is indigenous to the West Indies but is used in the regional Indian cuisine of Kashmir and in curries of other regions of north India. Christopher Columbus was the European who discovered allspice; although he was seeking pepper and other treasures of the Orient, he had never seen real pepper and he thought he had found it in these berries. He brought it back to Spain, where it was named pimienta, Spanish for pepper. The Anglicized name, pimento, is still occasionally used in the spice trade.

Use It: Crushed on venison and other game, whole in marinades and braises, on barbecue, in rotisserie seasonings. Of course, allspice is a major ingredient in jerk seasoning. It was one of the spices used by the Aztecs to flavor their chocolate beverage.

(The glossary continues below.)

ARTICLE INDEX

This is Page 6 of an 11-page article. Click on the black links to visit other pages.

• Page 1: Capsule Report
• Page 1: Peppercorn Overview
• Page 2: What Is Pepper
• Page 3: What’s Wrong With
  Supermarket Pepper
• Page 4: Pepper Glossary A & B
• Page 5: Pepper Glossary C To I
• Page 6: Pepper Glossary J To L
• Page 7: Pepper Glossary M

• Page 8: Pepper Glossary N To S
• Page 9: Pepper Glossary T To Z
• Page 10: Tasting & Comparing Pepper
  Types
• Page 11: A Peppermill, Mortar & Pestle
  For Pepper Lovers
• Page 11: Where To Buy Varietal
  Peppercorns
• Reviews Of More Of Our Seasonings
• Recipe: “Fire & Ice” Strawberry
  Peppercorn Sorbet

LONG PEPPER (or Indian Long Pepper or Roman Long Pepper)
From Bali, one of the islands of Indonesia, Piper longum, cousin to Piper nigrum, was the peppercorn exalted by Romans as the ultimate peppery spice, costing three times as much as the small, round black peppercorn. It disappeared into culinary obscurity with the agricultural domestication of Piper nigrum, to reappear in the West in the last few years with the growing interest in specialty foods. Once ground, roasted or simply snapped in two, the peppers release a complex floral bouquet with earthy nuances and hints of cinnamon and celery seed. The flavor has a depth and complexity not found in regular peppercorns, simultaneously releasing pungency, sweet hints of cardamom and nutmeg and a slight fruitiness. Since long pepper is more pungent than black pepper, it adds a greater depth of spiciness and will be appreciated by those who enjoy the flavor of fresh-ground pepper. The peppers are too large to be ground in a traditional peppermill, but are easy to grind with a mortar and pestle or in an electric spice grinder.