Food Alphabet
Long pepper (long pepper, Indonesian long pepper, spikelet pepper, pipul, kavika)
The homeland of the long pepper is considered India, Nepal and Indonesia. Among the Romans and Greeks, it was known as an aphrodisiac and therefore cost twice as much as black pepper (see the article "Black Pepper").
"Long" pepper is sweeter and more pungent in taste than black pepper. Its aroma is tart and spicy. Actually, the spice itself is the axis of the inflorescence of two types of evergreen shrub of the pepper family. Externally, this axis resembles a spikelet, it is dried entirely, and ground immediately before use.
Nowadays, only a few European gourmets put "long" pepper in fine wine sauces and Swiss cheese fondue ("long" pepper perfectly emphasizes the taste of cheese dishes). But it is very popular in India (for example, it is put in a pickled side dish-seasoning "Achar"), Malaysia, Indonesia and Africa, especially in the northern and eastern Islamic regions, where the "long" pepper was once brought by Arab traders. In these countries, "long" pepper is most often added to marinades, vegetable and meat dishes,including lamb. At the same time, the bookmark rate is 1 pea of pepper per 1 serving of the product.
