After nearly 40 years of cooking, today I was musing that I don't really 'get' the role of pepper and its key contribution in cooking.
Don't get me wrong - I like pepper and can tell if it's there or not, and I like the peppery kick in certain situations, but is it essential?
In the book 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat' the author talks about the crucial role these elements play - how salt enhances existing flavours, how acid is used to balance the profile of a dish, how fat conveys taste molecules and provides mouthfeel and obviously how we need to use and control heat in order to cook the food, but pepper is not in this list, yet it appears as 'season with salt and pepper' across a large number of cuisines (and I would say the majority of recipes you see) as if it's an essential factor.
We certainly can't do without salt, and mastering how much salt to use is one of the key waypoints in the development of a decent cook. After I learned how to use salt correctly, I felt this was quite revelationary. But pepper? I don't think I've had that lightbulb moment yet.
Again, I like it, but how much can we do without it? Is it just about adding that heat or does it enhance other flavours? Is 'I like it' sufficient and I should just get on with it? I mean, I like a lot of things, such as ketchup, but I don't put that in every dish I cook...
Don't get me wrong - I like pepper and can tell if it's there or not, and I like the peppery kick in certain situations, but is it essential?
In the book 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat' the author talks about the crucial role these elements play - how salt enhances existing flavours, how acid is used to balance the profile of a dish, how fat conveys taste molecules and provides mouthfeel and obviously how we need to use and control heat in order to cook the food, but pepper is not in this list, yet it appears as 'season with salt and pepper' across a large number of cuisines (and I would say the majority of recipes you see) as if it's an essential factor.
We certainly can't do without salt, and mastering how much salt to use is one of the key waypoints in the development of a decent cook. After I learned how to use salt correctly, I felt this was quite revelationary. But pepper? I don't think I've had that lightbulb moment yet.
Again, I like it, but how much can we do without it? Is it just about adding that heat or does it enhance other flavours? Is 'I like it' sufficient and I should just get on with it? I mean, I like a lot of things, such as ketchup, but I don't put that in every dish I cook...