Coloured Peppercorns

[pt_tangles]

This is a question to anyone who happens by and knows more about cooking than me (Mattie and Desree, I am looking at you!):

Do colored peppercorns actually taste different than black ones or is it purely an aesthetic thing?

--Phae

Comments

[pendamuse.livejournal.com]

Have you ever had White Pepper - the taste is a little more mild but (to me) more pronounced, and I prefer it over Black. I would imagine that white peppercorns would be the same.

I think Green Peppercorns have to be pickled and get used for Thai cooking, but it's been so long, I couldn't tell you exactly.

I found a page that might help:

http://www.waitrose.com/frontend/popups/rec_gloss.asp?uidstr=249

[pt_tangles]

I haven't actually (not that I know of). I have always just used black pepper. I have been wanting to get one of those multi-coloured jars of peppercorns that they have at kitchen stores, just to try it. Mostly what has kept me from doing it is that I only have one peppermill, and I had LOTS of black peppercorns, and I wanted to wait until I actually needed more to try a new one.

Thanks for the link ^_^

--Phae

[thtrelady.livejournal.com]

I find that they do - they are very different from each other. Now, since I bought that mixed thingie - I can't tell you which is which, but they are different and both subtely and obviously so. One of them is very similar, but another tastes NOTHING like pepper at all.

[elf]

I've got a friend who's horribly allergic to black pepper, but can eat white pepper just fine. So they really are different plants, different chemicals... which strongly implies different flavors.

[desree42.livejournal.com]

Yes they do taste different. Just like Red Khoolaid and Blue Khoola... wait not a good example. like Purple Jello and Orange Jello... wait not a good example like.. um...

Anyway yes. They all share a pepper-y flavour because they are all from(dun-DUH!) the same plant. The difference in the level of ripeness in the peppercorn. Much like a underripe grape produces what is called Verjus while an ripe grape can make a wine or welches grape juice and an overripe grape can make the most delightful dessert/late harvest/ice wine.

Black Pepper Corns are picked when green and dired in the sun until black. This results in it having, like any unripe item, a slightly hotter and spicier flavour. White Peppercorns are allowed to fully ripen before being picked and results in a more mild and deeper flavour Green peppercorns are picked unripe(like the black) and resperved thus why the skin stays green.To me they tend to be more herbacious. Red or Pink peppercorns taste similar to the others nad look similar but are actually unrelated and considered a lesser product.

Now that being said how do I use them in the kitchen. Chances are unless you are doing a pepper crusted house made cheese or something in which the flavour of the pepper will play a major part... it really doesn't matter that much which one you use. Black pepper tends to be better for rough grinds, it tends to give a bit more flavour, and it tends to be a bit cheaper. I use this on meats, chunky coloured things, and stuff that you won't notice black specks in. White pepper tends to be a little more subtle and more expensive. I use it, for example, in my pretty white cream sauces so it's all pretty and creamy instead of having black bits in. Which you chose to use it up to you and your circumstances.

All pepper, and this is probably unneccesary to say, benefits from being ground fresh. That shit you get in a little tin(yeah I have some too my mom gave it to me) it's shit. Doesn't have the flavour. You can buy peppercorns cheaper, toast em off in your oven for 5 minutes and then put them in a grinder. It's a totally different(and better) flavour.

[desree42.livejournal.com]

Nope same plant just different stages in the ripening product. My guess would be that something happens to the peppercorns on the vine as they ripen that changes the chemistry of the peppercorns. It can also be a matter of preservatives or chemicals used during the drying of black pepper which is not present in white pepper because it is not used(they ripen on the vine and dry on the vine.)

[pt_tangles]

I always use a pepper mill. Though, I have never tried toasting them before grinding ... I'll have to give that a try.

--Phae

[pt_tangles]

Now I am really intrigued. I am gonna have to pick up some coloured peppers and try them out.

--Phae