Question about peppercorns

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Puggles

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I have always used whole peppercorns. Sometimes I get this kind, sometimes I get that kind. I fit as many as the thing will hold on the peppermill and toast them in a pan, let them cool, and put them in the pepper grinder. That has always been my go-to. I see many recipes call for black pepper AND white pepper, and in different amounts. Why is that? Does white pepper taste different than black pepper? And why the different amounts? I always thought that white pepper was used in light-colored sauces and Chinese food to get the pepper taste without seeing it.
 
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They do taste different. White pepper has a little more subtle (?) heat. They are both the same peppercorn, but processed differently.

Sprinkle some of each on a piece of vegetable and taste them.

CD
 
White and black pepper come from the same plant, but there´s a small difference. White pepper is picked when the seeds are really ripe, then fermented to remove the skin. That makes a slight difference in the taste.
 
I don’t really care that much for white pepper, and I sort of like seeing the little black flecks against a lighter background, so while I have it, I rarely use it.

The smell and taste different to me as well. Black pepper has a slightly sour pungency. White pepper smells like farts.
 
I love white pepper and use it quite a lot - I think it has a slightly grassy flavour with notes of citrus. It tends to be regarded as milder than black pepper but I'm not so sure. I use whole white peppercorns (I sometimes add them whole to curry) as well as ready ground.
 
I use black pepper, white pepper and green pepper probably in the proportion 80, 10, 10. It all depends upon what I'm cooking. Whole fresh green peppercorns for pepper sauce, ground white peppercorns for table seasoning and cracked black peppercorns for almost everything else.

I buy black peppercorns in 200 gm vacuum packs,

Black pepper s.jpg

Black pepper s.jpg


white peppercorns in a jar and green peppercorns loose ("on the vine").

whitepepper.jpg


greenpepper.jpg
 
Yorky said:
I use black pepper, white pepper and green pepper probably in the proportion 80, 10, 10. It all depends upon what I'm cooking. Whole fresh green peppercorns for pepper sauce, ground white peppercorns for table seasoning and cracked black peppercorns for almost everything else.

I buy black peppercorns in 200 gm vacuum packs,

Black pepper s.jpg

Black pepper s.jpg


white peppercorns in a jar and green peppercorns loose ("on the vine").

Click to expand...
I have a big jar of those green on the vine peppercorns in brine. Any suggestions?
 
Morning Glory said:
I love white pepper and use it quite a lot - I think it has a slightly grassy flavour with notes of citrus. It tends to be regarded as milder than black pepper but I'm not so sure. I use whole white peppercorns (I sometimes add them whole to curry) as well as ready ground.
Click to expand...


I may be remembering incorrectly but I thought white pepper was supposed to be hotter/spicier but less floral than black pepper.


I use finely ground white pepper in Asian cooking and for light coloured sauces like bechamel but freshly cracked black pepper or a combo (tri-colour (black, white & pink ) are common in the supermarket here) but I’ve never toasted them before filling the mills.

Is that common practice?
 
Yorky said:
I use black pepper, white pepper and green pepper probably in the proportion 80, 10, 10. It all depends upon what I'm cooking. Whole fresh green peppercorns for pepper sauce, ground white peppercorns for table seasoning and cracked black peppercorns for almost everything else.

...... green peppercorns loose ("on the vine").

Click to expand...

Of those, I cooked some. vacuum packed and froze some and stored some in an airtight jar in the spice cupboard.

The frozen ones were acceptable when defrosted, the jar stored ones were covered in mold after 3 or 4 days. I didn't try storing them in brine or pickling them.
 
I use quite a bit of black pepper, cracked and rough ground. Probably around once a week I'll pulse grind a tablespoon or two of whole corns in a coffee grinder (reserved for spices) and what I don't use I store in a double sealed jar. The jar has "shaker holes" in one top which will allow the finer ground pepper to escape. If I want the coarser/cracked pepper, I remove this top and add straight from the jar.

Pepper pot s.jpg

Pepper pot s.jpg

 
I'm Chinese so white pepper is in my DNA.

having said that, I eat a lot of black pepper. I buy Tellicherris from India, and the DELIcious KAMPOT peppercorn from Cambodia. KAmpot is way better. (to me)
 
I have and use black and white pepper. And whole peppercorns. I cant get atm green ones in brine but I have some on order at a Mediterranean shop I found recently. I use a LOT of pepper here. Even my kids are addicted to it.

Russ
 
Not much into white peppercorn simply because they're kind of a one hit wonder with not much character imo. I use 3 kinds. One is from India called Aranya, very nice, complex and fruity and the other I use a lot is from a Vietnamese coffee planation that also grows peppercorns which they call Robusta, very complex and very fruity. I also use the standard ones we order through our purveyors for general use.
 
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