Ray Timur

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

New harvest!

This Szechuanpepper in Nepal and India it is called timur, elsewhere also timut or Nepalese mountainpepperThe fruit has been gathered for centuries by indigenous people for medicinal use—including against flatulence. Increasingly, the timur is now picked for its mildly pungent sharpness and unmistakable citrus flavor, in this case, grapefruit or pomelo. The citrus flavor becomes stronger and sweeter when the pepper heated - roasted - is.

The Zanthoxylum armatum to which this pepperThe currant grows on a shrub with venomous spines. The shrub bears small yellow flowers that develop into berries that quickly turn pale red, eventually turning dark red. The clusters of berries are harvested from the first week of October until well into November.

The timur is found in the warmer valleys of the Himalayas at altitudes of 1,000 to 2,100 meters. It is one of the few spices that grows at such altitudes. The Raye timur is primarily harvested in the Bajura and Myagdi regions. It grows abundantly there, but harvesting is small-scale. In India, the species is threatened by excessive, uncontrolled harvesting; this is not the case in Nepal.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Characteristic of all Zanthoxylumpeppers, and so also for this Szechuanpepper 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 pungency is caused by the amides in the fruit's peel: α-, β-, γ-, and δ-sanshool, α-hidroxy sanshool, and β-hidroxy sanshool. The numbing effect is primarily caused by γ sanshool and α-hidroxy sanshool. The amount of α-hidroxy sanshool in the berries can amount to (well over) 50‰ of the dry weight, while γ sanshool accounts for around 5‰.

The tingling sensation 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 Asian medicine. Its effects are very complex and the subject of extensive studies. Hydroxy-α-sanshol, in particular, is said to cause the tingling, and there are certain parallels with the pungency experienced with capsaicin, the pungent substance in chili peppers.pepper, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Smell and taste

In Raye Timur, the grapefruit aroma is prominent, so much so that you have to be careful with the dosage. This is just a sampling of the wide range of flavors:

• D-limonene* (dipentene), sweet orange flavor, found in modest amounts in nutmeg, mace, and cardamom,
• linalool *, 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 berry and hemp,
  
• myrcene, as in bay leaf and cloves
• sabinene, responsible for the woody, camphor-like flavour of blackcurrant, among other things pepper
• carvotan acetone, also mint-like, as in angelica,
• the bitter terpinol*, - mainly found in the seeds - as in cranberries.

The oils marked with a star are dominant in aroma and taste.Feel free to combine timur with any of the spices mentioned above, and generally with foods that pair well with citrus, such as shellfish and scallops, white fish, salmon, white butter sauces, veal, pork, and duck. It can be eaten raw or added at the last minute, and is delicious in vegetable salads, desserts, or with fruit.

Usage

Crush the fruit to release the seeds. These are easier to crush than the seed pods, which are best ground. The same goes for whole berries (with seeds).

In the cuisines of Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan, timur is used in chutneys and pickles, among other things. Famous dishes from Nepalese cuisine that use timur are momo (a dumpling) and thupka (a noodle soup). In Indian cuisine, timur is sometimes called the 'mirchi berry', it could be. Mirchi is the Hindi name for all kinds pepper, of black pepper to chilipepper the Bhut Jolokia and Naga Jolokia (raja mirch). People use the pepper in a nutritious winter soup called hag, and in chutneys such as dunkcha.

Features:

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

Assortment

• available in glass (30 grams), stand-up pouch and test tube (10 ml)
  
• larger quantities on request

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 gift packaging section.

General advice

• Raye timur is a versatile SzechuanpepperCan be used raw or roasted. Raye timur tastes like grapefruit.

Save:

• keep your raye timur in a closed container
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• batch **580397 - best before June 2028 (06-2028)
• This expiration date is an indication

Would you like to know what Raye timur tastes like?