We begin with a question that is difficult to answer. There really is many kinds of pepper and in any classification, surely some are left out. Next we are going to break down the most important ones, but first I consider it advisable to talk about the term hot spicy.
What is spicy?
In general, there is a tendency to think about 'spicy' When you talk about spices, which is not always true. Indeed, there are spices that are very hot, others slightly hot and others not at all hot. Mainly there two blocks of hot spices: peppers and cayenne or chilli.
In addition to other spices with a certain spicy character, although not as a main attribute, such as ginger, it, mustard and Nigella.
In turn, the spicy appearance peppers and cayenne is not the same. In peppers, the spiciness is due to the alkaloid "piperine". While in the Cayennes it is due to alkaloid "capsaicin".
The spicy taste of peppers is righ now and we perceive it in the central part of the mouths. However, the itchiness of the chillies it takes a few seconds to appear and we perceive it in the back of the mouth and throat. The spicy flavor of the peppers is fresh and usually disappears after a short time. Otherwise, chillies have a spicy flavor that lasts for a long time and is really hot.
The kinds of pepper
With this brief introduction about itching we will talk about kinds of pepper. The best known are those produced by the tropical tree Piper nigrum L.. Three types of peppers are obtained from it: green pepper, black pepper and white pepper.
Green pepper They are the berries picked before ripening and dehydrated. In the case of black pepper They are the same berries picked at the beginning of ripening and dried in the sun. Refering to White pepper They are the same berries picked already ripe and subjected to a curing process to remove the outer covering.
Of these three kinds of pepper, the flavor of the Verde it is fresh and mildly spicy. The one with the pepper black it has a spicy and aromatic flavor. The one with the White it has a refined and intensely spicy flavor.
La pink pepper it is not a real pepper, it is the seeds of the tree Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi. It is not at all itchy and its flavor is aromatic and resinous.
Types of pepper, according to geographical area
From jamaica are the fruits of the tree Pimenta dioica L. Its flavor is mildly spicy and very aromatic, reminiscent of a mixture of various spices.
cubeba It corresponds to piper cubeb. It has a bitter, spicy and aromatic taste.
From Ethiopia It corresponds to Xylopia aethiopica. Its flavor is aromatic, bitter and very pungent.
From Guinea It corresponds to Guinean piper. Its flavor is similar to cubeba pepper, although less bitter and more herbaceous.
Java It corresponds to Piper retrofractum. Intensely spicy flavor, superior to that of black pepper.
Sichuan It corresponds to Zanthoxylum piperitum. Its flavor is spicy with slight reminiscences of lemon.
Tasmania It corresponds to Tasmannia lanceolata. Its flavor is sweet and spicy.
Long pepper It corresponds to Piper longum. Its flavor is similar to black pepper, but more spicy.
We close this brief review of a dozen kinds of pepper, pending for the future to deepen more in the knowledge of each one.
Article written by Tomás Franco, specialist in the field.
