Black Tellicherry Peppercorns
1 lb bag
The term "Tellicherry" originated when these large, black peppercorns were exported from the Indian port city of the same name. These are the most pungent black peppercorns with the deepest, hottest flavor you'll ever find!
Once traded, ounce for ounce, for pure gold, Tellicherry pepper is still a superlative spice that can add a depth of flavor-first heat, then a tinge of sweetness to your everyday meals.
Black peppercorns are produced from the still-green, unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are briefly cooked in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding up the work of browning enzymes during drying.
The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.
In general, the later the pepper is picked, the better its flavor. But waiting too long to pick is a gamble too; ripe pepper fruits will rot if left too long, and there is also an increased risk of loss to hungry birds or unfavorable weather.
Thus, black Tellicherry pepper from India, picked at just the right moment, involves keen judgment and results in large peppercorns with truly excellent flavor.
Black pepper is bold, complex, and aromatic. The outer skin contains piperine plus earthy, piney, floral compounds (like the terpene sabinene). It has a sharp, lingering heat with a slightly fruity, woody character. What you smell when you crack fresh black pepper is largely those volatile oils in the skin.
