Ray Timur

Raye timur or timut pepper grows wild in large parts of the Himalayas and in the Indian Eastern Ghats. It is the berry of the Zanthoxylum armatum, a Szechuan pepper. The dark brown berry is sharp and has an unmissable grapefruit aroma.

This Szechuan pepper is called timur in Nepal and India, elsewhere also timut or Nepalese mountain pepper. The fruit has been collected for centuries by the indigenous people for medicinal use - including against flatulence. More and more, the timur is now being picked for its soft pungent pungency and unmistakable citrus flavour, in this case grapefruit. or pomelo. The citrus flavor becomes stronger and sweeter when the pepper is heated - roasted -.

The Zanthoxylum armatum on which this pepperberry grows is a shrub with vicious spines. The shrub bears small yellow flowers that develop into fruits that quickly turn pale red and eventually dark red. The bunches of berries are harvested from the first week of October, well into November.

The timur is found in the warmer valleys in the Himalayas at altitudes of 1000 to 2100 meters. It is one of the few spices that grow at such a height. The Raye timur is mainly picked in the regions of Bajura and Myagdi. It grows in abundance, but the harvest is small-scale. In India the species is threatened by excessive, uncontrolled picking, in Nepal this is not the case.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Typical for all Zanthoxylum peppers, and therefore also for the Szechuan pepper, is the tingling you experience on the tip of your tongue due to a substance in the pepper called sanshool, named after the Japanese sanshō. The sharpness is caused by the amides in the skin of the fruit: α-, β-, γ- and δ-sanshool, α hidroxy sanshool and β-hidroxy sanshool. γ sanshool and α hidroxy sanshool are mainly responsible for the narcotic effect. The amount of α-hidroxy-sanshool in the berries can amount to (more than) 50 ‰ of the dry weight, of γ sanshool around 5 ‰.

The tingling is accompanied by a slight numbness, jokingly compared to tasting a 9-volt battery. A single berry is enough to experience that! This somatosensation, stimulation by touch, has been used for centuries as an anesthetic in traditional medicine in Asia. Its operation is very complex and the subject of extensive studies. Hydroxy-α-sanshol in particular is said to cause the tingling sensation, and there are certain parallels with the sharpness experience of capsaicin, the pungent substance in chili pepper, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Odor and taste

In Raye timur, the scent of grapefruit is prominent, even to the extent that you have to be careful with the dosage. This is an anthology only from the wide taste palette:

• D-limonene * (dipentene), sweetish orange flavour, present in moderate amounts in nutmeg, mace and cardamom,
• linalol *, responsible for the fresh floral scent
• methyl cinnamate *, the taste of strawberry, but the smell balsamic,
• β-pinene, woody pine scent, as in cumin, pine cone, juniper and hemp,
  
• myrcene, as in bay leaf and cloves
• Sabinene, responsible for the woody, camphorous taste of black pepper, among others
• carvotan acetone, also minty, as in angelica,
• the bitter terpinol *, - mainly occurring in the seeds - as in cranberries.

The oils indicated with a star are dominant in aroma and taste. Feel free to combine timur with any of the above spices, and in general with products that go well with citrus such as shellfish and shellfish, white fish, salmon, white butter sauces, veal, pork and duck.Can be eaten raw and added at the last minute, and is delicious in vegetable salads and in desserts or with fruit

Use

Crush the fruit, releasing the seeds. These are easier to crush than the seed shells, which are best ground. Just like the whole berries (with seed).

In the kitchens of Tibet, Nepal and Buthan, timur is used in chutneys and pickles, among other things. Famous dishes from Nepalese cuisine in which timur is used are momo (a dumpling) and thupka (a noodle soup). In Indian cuisine, the timur could be called the 'mirchi berry', it could be. name for all types of pepper, from black pepper to chili pepper, the Bhut Jolokia and Naga Jolokia (raja mirch) The pepper is used in a nutritious winter soup called hag and in chutneys such as dunkcha.

Attributes:

• 100% berries of the Zanthoxylum armatum
• wild picking, picked manually
• origin: Bajura and Myagdi regions, Nepal

Assortment

• available in glass, pouch and test tube
• glass jar contains 30 grams
• stand-up pouches with a content of up to 30 to 300 grams
• available in 10 ml test tube
• larger quantities on request

Gift Wrap

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

General advice

• Raye timur, like Mac Khen and Ma Khaen, is a versatile Szechuan pepper that can be used both raw and roasted. The difference ? Raye timur tastes like grapefruit, Mac Khen and Ma Khaen like orange peel.

Save:

• keep your raye timur in closed packaging
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before February 2026 (02/26)
• this best before date is an indication

Would you like to know how Raye timur tastes?