History of White Peppercorns

The history of white peppercorns is intertwined with the history of black peppercorns, as the two come from the same plant and even the same peppercorn. White peppercorns, technically, are just black peppercorns that have had their pericarp, or skin, removed. The white peppercorn is revealed below.

Some historians argue that the history of the spice trade begins first with the history of the peppercorn. Without humanity's obsession with this small but flavorful spice, they say is unlikely that the spice trade would have taken off with such vigor. Today, pepper is still one of the most exported and traded spices in the world. Indonesia is one of the largest producers of the spice.

Pepper, also called the "King of Spices" was popularly used by the wealthy to cure meat and mask unfavorable flavors in foods that were beginning to go bad. Because it was so cost prohibitive, pepper was really only used by the wealthy and was thus interpreted as a status symbol for quite a while. In the same vein, peppercorns have a long history as a method of payment. Historically, peppercorns were used to cover the cost of dowries, rents, payments to soldiers, and the cost of new buildings. In fact, what was once a church in Wall Street was rented out from the English for the price of "one pepper corne" per year, a debt that had been neglected for so long that when Queen Elizabeth II came to visit in NYC in 1976, she was given a Steuben glass container full of the 276 peppercorns due in back rent. This was purely ceremonial.

Indonesia has long been a huge producer of peppercorns, but this was threatened in the 1940s when land destruction during WWII threatened their crops and industry. This gave other countries the opportunity to try their hand at taking over in the peppercorn business. Indonesia has still managed to hold onto a large part of the peppercorn market. As for who consumes the most peppercorns, today Tunisia is the only country that eats more pepper than the United States. The people of Tunisia enjoy about a quarter pound of peppercorns per capita annually.

White Peppercorn Cultivation

White Pepper can be grown from either seeds or cuttings of the Piper Nigrum plant. New plants take about three years to establish themselves and produce fruit, but after that they will continue to produce fruit for 15 to 20 years. Vines are typically wrapped up so they will continue to grow upward in direction, and they can potentially grow up to 25 feet tall.

Pepper plants do best in nutrient-dense soils with lots of rain and sunlight. They do best in areas where they can get shade however, as long exposure to direct sunlight can cause harm to the plant. The peppercorns are left to semi-ripen from green to a yellowish red color before they are plucked to make white peppercorns. The peppercorns are boiled or rested in hot water and then the outer hull is rubbed away, revealing a pale colored fruit that is then sun dried. Once dry, it is a white peppercorn! Usually, they are not a true white and more of a beigey color.

Where is it from?

We grind our white pepper in house from white peppercorns that come from Vietnam.

How Do They Make White Peppercorns?

White Peppercorns come from the same vine that black peppercorns come from, with the main differences being that they are allowed to ripen a little bit longer, and they are dried differently, resulting in their white color. When the berries are a yellowish red color, indicating that they are almost fully ripened, that is when they are picked to be made into white peppercorns. They are soaked in water or boiled to loosen their skins, and then the skins are removed through vigorous rubbing. A light-colored berry is left behind, and it is this that is dried and becomes a white peppercorn.

White peppercorns are also sometimes made by simply taking black peppercorns and mechanically removing the hull, a process called decortication. White pepper made in this manner tastes much more like black pepper than the white pepper you would get from the first processing method described.

Types of Pepper

White, black, red and green peppercorns all come from the tropical woody plant Piper nigrum. This plant is indigenous to the monsoon regions of Southeastern Asia. Black peppercorns are the most common of the peppers and are picked when the berries are still green (before they have fully ripened). They are then dried in the sun which turns their color to a dark brown and their texture becomes wrinkled. White peppercorn berries are picked when they are fully ripened and they are then husked and dried. Red peppercorns are the rarest of the peppercorns, as it is quite difficult to grow them to the point that they are fully ripened. Green peppercorns are plucked from the vine while they are still immature and fully green in color. They are boiled, treated so they don’t oxidize, and then either freeze dried or dehydrated so they maintain their green color.

Cooking with Ground White Pepper

In European cuisines, white pepper is used to flavor creamy sauces and various light-colored dishes. This is a pepper with a less complex flavor profile than black pepper, but it still has a bit of a bite to it. It can be used in marinades, pickles, chicken, fish, and potato-based dishes. This ingredient is probably most famously used to season bechamel sauces.

Ground White Pepper works well in combination with basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, lemon, and parsley.

Is it Better to Use Whole White Peppercorns or Ground?

It depends on who you ask. As is the case with most spices, purchasing whole spices and then grinding them yourself will give you the most flavor. However, our Ground White Pepper is done in small batches in house so we can ensure our customers are getting the best quality ground pepper they can. For chefs that prioritize convenience and ease of use, having pre-ground spices makes sense. For those who enjoy grinding their own spices and having the absolute brightest flavors in their food, buying whole White Peppercorns is the way to go

What Does Ground White Pepper Taste Like?

Ground White Pepper has a less intense flavor than black pepper. It’s subtle and somewhat bitey, though it doesn’t linger as long as black pepper will. It is sometimes described as having an intense, earthy or herbaceous aroma and can sometimes impart that aroma into food when used in large quantities.

Substitutions and Conversions for Ground White Pepper

In small quantities, you can use black pepper in place of white pepper, but be careful with how much you use as the two have different flavor profiles.

Read More

What is White Pepper Anyway?

What Spices Go with What Meat?

Spice Cabinet 101: Peppercorns