The dried catkins of two tropical pepper vines. Long pepper is hotter and sweeter than black, with notes of nutmeg and ginger, and was once Europe's most expensive pepper.
What it is¶
Long pepper is the fruiting spike of two climbing vines closely related to black pepper. Instead of hanging strings of separate berries, the tiny fruits are fused into a dense, cone-like catkin about 2–5 cm long, harvested unripe and dried until dark grey-brown. Each spike looks like a small, knobbly, tapering pine cone or catkin.
Indian long pepper (Piper longum) is known in Sanskrit and Hindi as pippali; Javanese long pepper (P. retrofractum) is a little larger and is grown across Indonesia, where it is called cabe jawa. They are used interchangeably.
Origins and history¶
Long pepper reached the Mediterranean before black pepper did, and it was the more esteemed of the two. Greek physicians of the Hippocratic tradition used it as a medicine, and Pliny the Elder, in the first century AD, gave its price as fifteen denarii a pound, against seven for white pepper and four for black. The English word pepper, via Latin piper and Greek peperi, is generally traced back to the Sanskrit pippali, the name of long pepper; see etymology of spice names.
It remained prominent in medieval European cooking, appearing in sauces and spiced wines. Its decline came in the sixteenth century, when chillies arrived from the Americas. They were easy to grow almost anywhere and did the same job, and long pepper, awkward to grind and imported from far away, faded from European kitchens. In India it never disappeared, remaining an important ingredient in Ayurvedic preparations and in some regional cooking.
Flavour and aroma¶
Long pepper has more piperine than black pepper, so it is noticeably hotter, but the heat is rounder and sweeter. Behind it are warm notes often compared to nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger, with a slightly earthy, resinous finish. It lacks black pepper's sharp citrus top notes. Once tasted, it is easy to see why medieval recipes paired it with sweet spices.
In the kitchen¶
Long pepper can be used almost anywhere black pepper is, remembering that it is hotter.
- Grinding: the spikes are hard and do not fit most pepper mills. Snap them into pieces and grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, or grate whole spikes on a fine rasp grater straight over food.
- Whole in slow cooking: drop one or two spikes into a braise, stew, dal or stock and remove before serving.
- Indian cooking: pippali appears in some North Indian pickles, in Nepali and Bengali preparations, and in spiced milk drinks.
- Indonesia and Malaysia: used in spice pastes, soups and the herbal tonic drinks known as jamu.
- North Africa: some versions of ras el hanout include it.
- Sweet dishes: excellent in poached fruit, gingerbread, dark chocolate and mulled wine, echoing its medieval role in hippocras.
💡 Start small
Use about two-thirds of the black pepper a recipe asks for. One grated spike is enough to season a dish for four.
Buying and storing¶
Whole spikes keep their flavour for two to three years in an airtight jar away from light and heat. Ground long pepper loses aroma quickly and is best made as needed. Look for firm, intact spikes without mould or excessive dust. Specialist spice merchants and Indian grocers (ask for pippali) are the most reliable sources. See storing spices.
Substitutes¶
- Black pepper with a small pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon comes close.
- Grains of paradise for a milder, more aromatic pepper.
- Cubeb, another historic pepper, has a different, piney character but plays a similar role in medieval-style recipes.
Pairs well with¶
Lamb, pork, game, lentils, root vegetables, dark chocolate, stone fruit, pears and figs; also ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, green cardamom and turmeric.
Did you know¶
Long pepper's fused fruits mean that one spike is really dozens of tiny peppercorns. Grated on a fine rasp, a spike yields a surprisingly large amount of fluffy powder, and a single one will season a pan of sauce. Because the whole spike is used, there is nothing to discard; if a spike has been simmered in a stew it softens and can be fished out easily with a spoon.