Cape long pepper (timiz)

This Cape long (forest) pepper is a sharp, ripe pepper with a complex flavor. The catkins are much longer than the catkins of Asian long peppers, on average about 10 cm long.

The Cape long pepper (Piper capense) is a perennial, evergreen climbing plant with broad green leaves. In shrub form it grows to a height of 2 to 4 meters. The inflorescence is spike-shaped. During the rainy season, the small flowers are hidden under the scales, under which the seeds are also trapped in winter. They are reminiscent of willow catkins.

The catkins contain round to oval seeds with a diameter of 2 mm. They are harvested whole in January, with a short piece of stem attached, and are traded both fresh and dried.

The Cape long pepper grows in a zone from West Africa to Ethiopia, and is also found in South Africa, hence the botanical name Piper capense. In southern Africa, the plant flowers from August to February and bears fruit from October to June. It can even bloom all year round if enough water is available. 

In addition to the Piper capense, Piper umbellatum, an originally South American pepper variety, also grows in Ethiopia. Timiz is very popular in Ethiopia, unlike the South American pepper, which is hardly collected, let alone eaten. People are also fond of the Asian long peppers, which are usually sweeter and are imported in large numbers.

Most timiz in Ethiopia come from the Bonga rainforest. Due to the weather conditions, it is almost impossible for the farmers in Bonga to dry the peppers in the sun, which is done elsewhere. Drying in the sun takes ten to twenty days, depending on the number of hours of sunshine. The quality of sun drying is usually variable because conditions are difficult to monitor. . Usually, after the peppers have been cleaned, they are placed on a bed of wood and bamboo to be dried over an open fire. This drying process only takes a few days and is done in a more controlled manner. The sun-dried peppers are very popular for their fresher color and more complex aroma, but rare.

Smell and taste

This long pepper is not that sharp. The first impression you get of this pepper is that of a smoky, camphorous-bitter pepper, a bit like African cubeb or ashanti pepper. Gradually you also taste notes of tobacco and resin. These are the main flavor components:

• α- and β-pinene, woody pine odor, as in cumin, juniper and hemp,
• sabinene, responsible for the woody, camphoraceous flavor of black pepper, among others
• germacrene D, spicy woody
  
• α-cubeben, camphorous, like cubeb pepper,
• β-caryophyllene, sweet spicy and woody
• safrole, sasafras aroma, also present in cinnamon and nutmeg,
  

Culinary use and preparation

Due to its intense taste, the pepper in Ethiopia is rarely used on its own, but in the spice mixtures berbere and mekelesha, a mixture of timiz, cinnamon, cloves , black pepper, nutmeg, black onion seed and black cardamom. 

The easiest way to use long pepper is to cut or break the pepper into pieces and then mortar or grind the pieces, for example in a coffee grinder specifically designed for grinding spices.

Cape long pepper combines excellently with lamb, goat meat, fresh goat cheese (in combination with olive oil and green herbs), duck, game and in general dishes in which cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (ehuru) are also used. become. 

Features:

• 100% pepper berries of the Piper capense
  
• origin: Ethiopia

Assortment

• available in glass and stand-up pouch (no test tubes)
  
• glass jar contains 30 grams
• stand-up pouches with a capacity of up to 30 to 300 grams
• larger quantities on request

Gift packaging

• the jar is available in a tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper
• for an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section

General advice

• use long pepper whole or broken. When you grind the pepper, grind your pepper shortly before use, and store any excess ground in a tightly sealed jar.
  
• the whole or broken pepper works best in stews, so that the pepper has time to integrate,
• add ground long pepper to your preparation at the very last minute

Save:

• store your long pepper in closed packaging
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before November2026 (11/26)
• this expiration date is an indication

Batch number

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item comes from. It is stated on the packing slip and the invoice