Brazilian pink pepper

The berries of the Brazilian pepper tree are known as 'pink pepper'. The taste is subtly sweet, rather than sharp, although the berries contain carvacrol, which is also found in herbs such as savory, thyme and oregano. Our pepper is a fragile, freeze-dried berry.

This pink fruit is called 'pink pepper', but it is not a pepper, at most a pseudo pepper, and the berry is botanically not a berry but a seed pod. The plant/tree is not part of the pepper family (Piperaceae), but of the smoke tree family, a perhaps less well-known family, but with well-known plant species such as the cashew (nut), the pistachio (nut), sumac (herb), mango and the Greek mastic.

The Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi) is originally from South America, as is the Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle). Both are used as a spice. 

The dried pink peppers come mainly from the islands of Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius, off the African east coast, including ours. They were 'discovered' by the French kitchen and planted on the islands at the beginning of the nineteenth century. For a few years now, the pink berry has also been produced (again) in Brazil.

Pink berries are either 'air dried', which gives them a wrinkled appearance like black pepper, or they are freeze dried. Freeze drying preserves the smooth shape of the berry, and better preserves the subtle flavour palette and colour.

Smell and taste

Compared to black pepper, pink pepper is hardly spicy. The sharpness comes from the phenol carvacrol, an antioxidant that is found in much larger quantities in herbs such as savory, thyme and oregano, in addition to pink pepper. In the berries you can clearly taste juniper berries (also somewhat sweet), which is why the berries are also called red juniper berries.

Brazilian pink pepper contains the monoterpenes

• α- and β-pinene, woody pine scent, as in cumin, pine cone, juniper and hemp
• β-phellandrene, pleasant mint and citrus flavor, also found in allspice,
• para-cimene, woody and fresh citrusy as in cumin, thyme, savory and marjoram, and
• cadineen, a fresh woody, vegetal aroma, like in cubeb pepper

Usage

Pink pepper combines well with cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, savory, oregano, tonka beans, vanilla, allspice, pepper and chili pepper. Pink berries are used whole, as in magret de canard or pate, but are usually broken or coarsely ground. Use pink pepper with veal, poultry, delicate fish dishes, such as mousses and with shellfish, such as St. Jacques (scallops), with shrimp, with cheese or in a herb butter or in a pea cream. Delicious when pickled in vinegar.

Also try pink peppercorns with fruits : peach, orange, melon, mango or papaya. And chocolate, in French tartines (mango) and bread, and even in desserts, such as drizzling some over pêches melba  sprinkle or process into peach marmalade.

As botanical

Just an example: the  Phizz Star: 50ml Star of Bombay, 15ml Bottlegreen Plump raspberry cordial, 15ml pink grapefruit juice and 30ml prosecco, finished with pink peppercorn peel crushed between your fingers.Also try Peruvian pink pepper!

Features:

• 100% freeze-dried berries of Schinus terebinthifolia
• origin: mauritius

Assortment

• available in stand-up pouch, glass and 10 ml test tube
• glass jar contains 30 grams

Gift wrapping

• 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 section  gift wrapping 

Allergens

These berries can cause allergic reactions in people with a cashew nut allergy.

General advice

• pink pepper can be eaten raw and used in hot preparations
• use the berries whole - also as a garnish - or grind them. Preferably do not do this with a pepper mill with a metal grinding mechanism. The skins are so thin and oily that the grinding mechanism quickly clogs  can hit.
• Also consider using only the peels in a dish instead of the whole berries.

Save:

• store your pink pepper in a closed container
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• at least good until June 2027 (06/2027)
• This expiration date is an indication

Would you like to know what this pink pepper tastes like?

You can also try a test tube. The tube contains enough pink pepper to fathom the flavor essence.

Batch number

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