Pepper (Piper nigrum) is a spice with four varieties: white, black, green and red. Originally from India, it became an important trade item. In gin production, pepper is dosed rather carefully with 20-80 g/100L, as it is intensely spicy and hot. The varieties vary in taste and influence the gin with spicy notes. Black is hot and tart, green is milder and fresher, red is equally mild and sweeter. White pepper has a special position.
Background
Pepper is a very well-known spice harvested from the plant of the same name. Its scientific name is Piper nigrum. Pepper is divided into four different varieties: white, black, green and red pepper. In addition, there are a large number of different, mostly regional types that differ from normal pepper.
Use of the pepper plant
The classic use of pepper is to sharpen and season food. Due to its good availability, it is a very traditional ingredient in many European and Asian cuisines.
Pepper is also said to have health-promoting properties, although it has never played a prominent role in medicine.
The different types of pepper are from the same plant, but are harvested and processed differently:
Green pepper: This is the unripe pepper that is harvested and quickly preserved. This is done by drying quickly under the influence of heat or by pickling and fermenting.
Black pepper: Similar to green pepper, this is also harvested unripe, but dried slowly and thus fermented. This is the classic way of preserving pepper!
Red pepper: The peppercorn is harvested ripe and then preserved by heat or by pickling.
White pepper: The ripe, red peppercorn is soaked and then peeled. It is the only pepper that lacks the fruity skin.
Growth area and origin
The origin of pepper is in India. The pepper trade with India had a great influence over the history of time and helped the traders to great wealth. Its importance in trade is due to its good shelf life and strong spiciness.
The importance of pepper receded into the background when chilli was discovered and traded on the American continent.
Nowadays, pepper is mainly grown in Asia and Brazil.
Dosing and distillation
Pepper is an intense spice and in gin production it must be dosed accordingly low. Only 20-80g/100L are used.
Primarily black, green or red pepper is used. It makes little sense to use white pepper, as it stands out more visually than in terms of taste. It is used for seasoning fried eggs, for example, so that no black spots are visible!
Taste influence on the gin
Pepper is generally very spicy and hot. Its influence in gin changes it very strongly. Even with a small addition, a spicy gin with a special style is created. Beyond the pungency and spiciness, however, the pepper varieties have other interesting flavours.
| Black | hot, tart spicy Green | mild, fresh Red | mild, sweetish White | hot, tart spicy but less strong than the black pepper |
