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Long pepper
Piper longum
Piperine · the long fruiting spike of a pepper relative
Long pepper is the dried fruiting spike of a vine in the pepper family, back in use today as a spice under that English name. A single spike the size of a little finger is built from several hundred tiny fruits fused along an axis, so it is counted by the spike or broken up rather than by the corn. Its heat comes from the same piperine group as black pepper, while its aroma is sweeter and lingers longer. Medieval Europe valued it above black pepper before losing the habit, and India has used it without a break under the name pippali. The Herb section of the Donguibogam enters it as 蓽撥, marked 【唐】 as an imported drug, its nature very warm, its taste pungent, with no toxicity. It grows in the south, the entry says, is about the size of a little finger and a greenish black, and it is gathered in the ninth lunar month, dusted with ash and dried in the sun. The same entry gives the preparation: strip the stalk, steep it in vinegar overnight and dry it over gentle heat. In Korea it is met mainly as a drug in the herbal markets, so the first thing is not to confuse a cooking quantity with a medicinal one.
Where It Grows
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Origin
It is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is cultivated or gathered from the forest in Assam, West Bengal and Meghalaya, and in Kerala and Karnataka in the Western Ghats; the spikes are stripped in midwinter during the dry season while still green, then dried in the sun. Harvest January
- 1
- Major producer It is grown in the Terai lowlands on the southern side of the Himalayas and sent across to India.
- Major producer It is intercropped with other crops in the humid lowlands.
- Major producer What is grown in Java is Javanese long pepper (Piper retrofractum), a different species.
It is native to the Indian subcontinent and grows from the southern foothills of the Himalayas across southern India and Sri Lanka. In Roman-era Europe it traded at a higher price than black pepper, then lost ground to black pepper and was long forgotten; recently it has returned to the spice market. A good share of what circulates in Southeast Asia under the name long pepper is Javanese long pepper (Piper retrofractum), a different species, so the two should be kept apart when shading them onto a single map. In Korea it does not grow outdoors, so there is no domestic farming calendar for it.
- Optimum
- 22~32℃
- Range
- 15~35℃
- Hardiness
- Tropical
- Day length
- Not applicable
It is a vine of hot, rainy tropical and subtropical lowland forest. It climbs other trees and grows in partial shade, and the spikes ripen after the rainy season ends. It cannot tolerate frost, so it does not survive winter outdoors in Korea.
How to grow
- Light
- It does not grow outdoors in Korea. In its home range it climbs other trees in the part shade beneath the canopy
- Soil and depth
- You will not meet it as a crop planted in soil here. In its home range it is grown on free-draining tropical forest floor under thick leaf litter
- Spacing
- In the kitchen, stand the spikes upright so they do not snap. Packed down they crumble, and the aroma goes first
- Watering
- As a dried spice, damp is its worst enemy. Do not pick it up with wet hands, and never open the jar over a steaming pot
- Feeding
- Nothing to tend. Reckon on six months to a year, and buy fresh once snapping a spike raises no aroma
- Harvest
- In its home range the spikes are stripped and dried before they ripen fully. The Donguibogam records gathering in the ninth lunar month, dusting with ash and drying in the sun
What makes the difference. Snap a spike between your fingers and check the aroma before it goes in. Anything added whole must be lifted out before the dish is eaten
Why this one is harder. The vine wants tropical heat and humidity and will not survive a Korean winter outdoors. Foliage is possible in a glasshouse, but spikes are effectively out of reach
Common problems
- Damp You will see The spikes go soft and bend rather than snap What to do Move them to a sealed container somewhere cool and dark. Damp spikes can be dried briefly over low heat, but discard any whose colour has changed
- Mould You will see White threads or black specks between the spikes and a musty smell What to do Discard the whole container. Do not pick out the sound ones
- Indian meal moth You will see Webbing inside the container and small larvae among the spikes What to do It carries over when spices are stored with grain. Move everything to glass or metal with a tight seal, and throw out any container where larvae have appeared
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
The old record — pilbal (蓽撥). The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as 蓽撥, marked 【唐】 as an imported drug. Its nature is set down as very warm, its taste as pungent, with no toxicity. It grows in the south, the entry says, is about the size of a little finger and a greenish black, and it is gathered in the ninth lunar month, dusted with ash and dried in the sun. The same entry gives the preparation: strip the stalk, steep it in vinegar overnight and dry it over gentle heat. What an old medical text wrote differs from how it is judged today.
Alkaloids of the genus Piper. Piperine-type alkaloids are confirmed in Piper species, and piperlongumine, named after long pepper, has been reported isolated from this one. This is an analysis of composition.
The name and the group. Botanical classification confirms that two species travel under the name long pepper: Piper longum from India and Piper retrofractum from Southeast Asia. This is a record of how the name is used.
Nutrition
- Piperine (the alkaloid in the fruiting spike) — the source of the heat
- Piperlongumine (isolated from this species) — an alkaloid that takes its name from long pepper
- Essential oil (present in the spike in small amounts) — the volatile fraction behind the sweet, lingering finish
The heat is piperine As with black pepper, the heat of long pepper comes from piperine-type alkaloids. Piperlongumine, which takes its name from this species, has also been reported isolated from it. This entry stays with the compositional record.
One spike, several hundred fruits A long pepper spike is hundreds of tiny fruits packed and set along an axis. It is counted by the spike or snapped into pieces rather than by the corn. Dropped in whole and lifted out, it gives a gentle aroma; ground in, the heat leads.
How it differs from black pepper The heat runs along similar lines, but long pepper is sweeter and lingers longer. Where black pepper stands up straight at the nose, long pepper carries a note leaning toward cinnamon alongside. Substituting it for black pepper, start at half the quantity rather than matching it.
What to look for when buying Choose spikes that are unbroken, straight and even in colour. Snap one between your fingers: aroma coming up at once means it is fresh, while nothing but a dusty smell means old stock. Keep them in a sealed container somewhere cool and dark.
Pairings
○ Long-simmered meat stock — One or two whole spikes in a long simmer release their aroma slowly. Ground, the heat comes forward, so use it whole in anything that runs long. Lift the spikes out before serving.
○ With cinnamon and star anise — The sweet, lingering finish sits well beside cinnamon and star anise. Using all three, keep long pepper the smallest share or it flattens the others. Warm it in oil first to carry the aroma into the fat, then add the rest. Cinnamon
○ Half a substitution for black pepper — Where black pepper is called for, start long pepper at half the quantity rather than matching it. The heat comes on slowly and stays. Taste, and add more only if it needs it.
△ A drug dose is not a seasoning dose — In Korea long pepper is sold mainly as a drug in the herbal markets. The amount used to scent food and the amount decocted as medicine differ in both purpose and quantity, so do not brew it on the strength of an old record. If it is to be used as medicine, consult a practitioner.
△ In pregnancy or while taking medication — If you are pregnant or taking medication, do not go beyond seasoning quantities in food. It belongs to the same genus as black pepper and carries piperine-type compounds, and extracted, concentrated forms bear no relation to what is used in a kitchen.
△ Do not chew the spike — Spikes dropped whole into a pot come out before the dish is eaten. Bitten into, the heat is strong enough to leave the throat rasping. For anything a child will eat, leave it out or grind in a very small amount.
Varieties
- Indian long pepper (Piper longum) (fruit) — The pippali of India. Slender, straight spikes
- Javanese long pepper (Piper retrofractum) (fruit) — A different species from Indonesia and Thailand. Thicker, shorter spikes
Source: Donguibogam, Herb Section 蓽撥