To judge whether a pepper is good, you need to know what to look for. Freshness, of course, but also grain size, degree of drying, and last but not least, aroma.
But what is pepper? Black pepper is the dried, unripe fruit of a plant with the species name Piper nigrum. Although the species name suggests otherwise, the fruits themselves are not black at all, but green, still unripe, turning orange to red as the fruit ripens. When you closely examine a high-quality black peppercorn, you'll see that some "grains" have a reddish-brown to reddish hue, indicating that they also contain ripe berries.
The "blackening" of the berries, just like with tea, is partly the result of enzymatic oxidation, also known as enzymatic browning. We know this from the browning of bananas, avocados, and apples. But the development of black pepper's color and flavor is more complex than that. The best results are achieved by briefly and gently blanching the picked berries and then drying them in a controlled manner (e.g., mechanically).
The pepper market is dominated by black pepper, the pepper with predominantly unripe berries from large-scale cultivation. Red pepper has no place here, because the berries on a bunch don't ripen evenly. The unripe the berries, the more secure the harvest, because the longer you leave the berries on the plant—they don't ripen further—the greater the risk of losing your harvest due to berries rotting. With premium peppers, such as black Penja, up to 70% of the berries on the picked bunches are orange to red, meaning semi-ripe or ripe. In some regions, such as Kampot and Phu Quoc, the ripe berries are hand-selected to make "red" pepper. Delicious!
To produce white pepper, the berries must be peeled. In artisanal white pepper production, the berries' skins are soaked in water, either in running water (a stream) or in barrels. This process is called to save called. Depending on the technique used, fermentation may or may not occur during the retting process. After the skins have become loose, they are rubbed and removed from the core.
Ripe berries are traditionally used for good white pepper. Large-scale white pepper production is now also made from dried, unripe berries, which are peeled mechanically. The peels are then processed into pepper oil or added to lower-quality pepper to create "fortified pepper" or 'fortified pepper'.
To produce white pepper cheaply and on a large scale, the process is accelerated - especially in Vietnam - by using enzymes that have the property of breaking down the cell wall. The most commonly used, most effective enzyme is pectinase, The complete enzymatic breakdown of the peel by pectinase of the green, fresh pepper berry takes 24 hours is required for the treatment, and 40-45 hours for the dried pepper (black pepper). The pepper treated in this way results in a grayish color, which is bleached with peroxide for a more aesthetic result.
In agriculture, the scale of a crop's production is considered a key factor in ensuring consistent quality and a competitive price, partly due to the ability to apply modern agricultural and processing techniques. For small-scale agriculture, these techniques are only feasible with a high degree of organization. Naturally, small-scale cultivation is highly sensitive to changing circumstances, such as those caused by climate change. Prolonged periods of drought, water shortages (lack of rain, dried-up aquifers, lakes, and springs), unpredictable heavy rainfall, flooding, and storms.More than ever, these farmers our support necessary.
Education is essential for maintaining small-scale agriculture, as are affordable technical resources. The corporate structure offers small farmers the best opportunity. to remain independent. The corporation can be used to professionalize sales, set up educational projects, and, last but not least, allow the entire community to benefit. The lack of a good organizational structure is a major reason why agriculture in many developing countries is less productive and profitable than elsewhere.
The pepper market has been in turmoil in recent decades due to the massive expansion of pepper acreage in Vietnam and Brazil, the latter having become one of the main suppliers in a short time. Market prices plummeted, particularly the prices of smaller grains intended for ground pepper and pepper oil. are dramatically low. Many farmers in that segment have consequently gone bankrupt. New plantations are focusing on the production of larger berries and organic pepper.
In various regions we see with great sadness how big Players are building on the success of smallholder farmers, such as in Kampot (especially due to the rise of large organic farms), Cameroon's Penja (the emergence of a parallel market), and Malaysia's Sarawak. In the latter case, the Malaysian government is encouraging on the expansion of pepper cultivation, which is mainly due to larger companies. Money-driven.
We strive to deliver distinctive products from smaller businesses, often family-owned corporations. We see this as a priority for preserving biodiversity, ensuring the continued existence of small, independent farms, and ensuring a good income for the families involved and local communities, with all the associated benefits.
By purchasing custom-made, we guarantee you fresh products. Our peppers smell pleasant and have an optimal heat. To maintain this quality, we recommend storing the peppers in a sealed jar, container, or bag, ideally in a very cool place. This applies to all spices, by the way.
How do you know if your pepper is good?
By smelling and tasting them. A good pepper smells good, tastes good, and is pleasantly hot. An old pepper is not only less aromatic, but also less hot, because the piperine—the pungent substance in pepper—has been converted over time, and especially under the influence of light (UV), into the virtually odorless and barely pungent isochavicine.