Everything about black, white and red pepper
To judge whether a pepper is good, you need to know what to look for. Naturally, the freshness, but also the grain size, the degree of dryness, and last but not least, the 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, coloring through orange to red, the ripe fruit. When you examine a high-quality black pepper closely, you will see that some 'grains' show a reddish-brown to red glow, indicating that ripe berries have also been incorporated into them.
The 'blackening' of the berries is, just like with tea, partly the result of enzymatic oxidation, also known as enzymatic browning. We know this from the browning of bananas, avocados, and apples. However, the development of the color and flavor of black pepper is more complex than that. You get the best result when you briefly and gently blanch the picked berries and then dry them in a controlled manner (for example, mechanically).
The pepper market is dominated by black pepper, the pepper from the predominantly unripe berries of large-scale cultivation. There is no place for red pepper in this, because the berries on a cluster do not ripen evenly. The more unripe the berries, the more certain the harvest, because the longer you leave the berries to ripen on the plant—they do not ripen further after aging—the greater the risk of losing your harvest due to berries starting to rot. With premium
To produce white pepper, the berries must be stripped of their skins. In artisanal white pepper, the skins are soaked off the berries in water, either in flowing water (a stream) or in vats. This process is 'scavengers' mentioned. Depending on the technique applied, fermentation takes place during the retting or not. After the skins have come loose, they are rubbed from the core and removed.
Traditionally, ripe berries are used for good white pepper. Nowadays, large-scale produced white pepper is also made from dry, unripe berries, with the berries being peeled mechanically. The skins are subsequently 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—particularly in Vietnam—by engaging enzymes that have the property of breaking down the cell wall. The most commonly used, most effective enzyme for this is pectinase, The complete enzymatic breakdown of the skin by pectinase of the green, fresh peppercorn takes It takes 24 hours, and for the dried pepper (black pepper) 40-45 hours. The pepper treated in this way results in grayish pepper, which is bleached with peroxide for a more aesthetic result.
In agriculture, the scale at which a crop is grown is considered an important factor for consistent quality and a market-based price, partly due to the ability to apply modern agricultural and processing techniques. For small-scale farming, these techniques are only accessible when there is a high degree of organization. Logically, small-scale cultivation is highly sensitive to changing conditions, such as those caused by climate change. This includes prolonged periods of drought, water shortages (absence of rain, dried-up aquifers, lakes, and springs), unpredictable heavy rainfall, floods, and storms.More than ever, these farmers have our support necessary.
Training is essential for the preservation of small-scale agriculture, as are affordable technical tools. The cooperative model offers small farmers the best chance. 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 over the past few decades due to the enormous expansion of pepper acreage in Vietnam and Brazil, the latter becoming one of the main suppliers in a short period of time. Market prices plummeted, particularly the prices of smaller grains intended for ground pepper and pepper oil. are dramatically low. Consequently, many farmers in that segment went out of business. New plantations are focusing on the production of larger berries and organic pepper.
In various regions, we see to our great sorrow how large players building on the success of small farmers, as in
We strive to supply distinctive products from smaller enterprises, often family business corporations. We view this as a priority for the preservation of biodiversity, the continued existence of small, independent farms, and a sound income for the families involved and local communities, with all the associated benefits.
By sourcing 'to order', we guarantee you fresh products. Our pepper has a pleasant aroma and is optimally spicy. To maintain this quality, we advise you to store the pepper in a sealed jar, tin, or bag; ideally, in a very cool place. Incidentally, this applies to all spices.
How do you know if your pepper is good?
By smelling and tasting it. A good pepper smells good, tastes good, and is nice and spicy. An old pepper is not only less aromatic, but also less spicy, because the piperine—the pungent substance in pepper—has been converted over time, and certainly under the influence of light (UV), into the virtually odorless and barely spicy isochavicine.