Pepper 4 Spices

PEPPER 4 SPICES - HOT AND SPICY NOTES

In terms of its aromatic palette, it presents warm, spicy olfactory notes reminiscent of cloves. The scent of freshly grated nutmeg is followed by a subtle combination of empyreumatic notes. Then cinnamon, with a hint of pepper, enters the olfactory dance.

To round off this dance of flavors, notes of lemon and menthol (easily reminiscent of eucalyptus) add a gentle freshness.

4 Spice Pepper is very fragrant, but not pungent

It's important to be sparing when using this spice, as it has a very powerful taste (and its role is to enhance your dishes, not smother them). Simply use it in the same proportions as your usual pepper, to spice up your dishes and give them that special aromatic blend.

If you want to get an idea of how it will taste in your dishes, take the time to taste it by slipping a single grain under your teeth. Let it crack and release all its flavors. You'll feel the gradual release of each of the spice's flavors. This is probably the best way to make sure you're getting the right amount of 4-Spice Pepper.

Like Java Long Pepper, 4 Spice Pepper can withstand long cooking times.

4 Spice Pepper is the fruit of the tree of the same name (its botanical name is Pimenta dioica)

of the Myrtaceae family. This species, around 10 meters tall, grows in tropical America, and its fruit is the source of a spice known as "four-spice" (we'll see why later). Its leaves give off a strong clove-like scent.

Once the flowers of this magnificent tree have wilted, the berries appear. Spherical and small, they come in a shade of brown (reminiscent of the little clay balls we place at the bottom of our flower pots), then turn red when ripe, and each contains two darker seeds. If you want to get the full flavor, you need to harvest the berries before the seeds ripen.

This tree reaches maturity at around 15 years of age, and is then able to produce fruit for an average of 100 years (around 50 kg of fruit/tree). After harvesting, the same drying process is applied to Mexican pepper berries as to other peppers (sun-drying for around ten days, followed by cleaning and careful sorting).

Once dried, it's easy to see why one of the names Mexican pepper goes by is " Four Spice ": the dried berries give off delicious aromas reminiscent of ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon (a combination we all know and love, especially when making gingerbread).

The leaves of this tree are used as a condiment, in the same way as bay leaves. In particular, it is included in the list of ingredients for West Indian black pudding, where it sublimely enhances the taste.

RECIPE IDEAS WITH 4-SPICE PEPPER

Because Mexican pepper is fragrant but not pungent, it can be used with all kinds of meats, sauces and desserts.

Savoury recipes:

Use this pepper on red meats, game or fish (especially fatty fish such as herring, sardines, mackerel, etc.). Thanks to its resistance to long cooking times, you can use it to your heart's content in stews and casseroles. It's also an excellent ingredient for marinades and, by correlation, will enhance all your barbecued meats (in fact, it makes a succulent marriage with herbes de Provence!). It's also surprisingly well-suited to grilled foie gras escalope, and brings a unique flavor to your curries!

Vegetables are also well catered for, with Mexican Pepper enhancing the flavours of autumn vegetables (notably in pumpkin velouté, pumpkin purée or sweet potato purée), as well as vegetable juices (carrot juice, tomato juice, beet juice, etc.).

It can be used in any dish in which "four-spice" has its own place.

4 Spice Pepper can also be your ally when, at the last minute, you become aware of a lack of flavor in your terrine or quiche: a very light sprinkling of this spice will relieve you of this hassle!

Sweet recipes :

Since 4 Spice Pepper is, by its very nature, a versatile spice, it's equally at home in desserts (pastries, gingerbread, chocolate-based desserts, fruit-based desserts).

What a pleasure it is to enjoy a fruit salad sprinkled with this pepper (or rather, this spice ;-)

In compotes, it's a tasty companion to your favorite fruits (of course, apples and pears go perfectly with this spice with its cinnamon notes).

4-Spice Pepper around the world:

In its country of origin, this spice is widely used, especially in Jerk cuisine. Surprisingly, this pepper is also found in many Eastern European dishes.
It's also found in the original recipe for ketchup: the Chinese version!

In chutneys, it reveals its many aromatic notes and sweet-and-sour flavor.
It is even the unexpected ingredient in two French alcoholic beverages: Bénédictine (from Fécamp) and the famous Chartreuse (traditionally from Isère).

With so many uses in so many fields, it's easy to see why one of its names is " all-spice "!

Compose your meal around 4-Spice Pepper :

As a starter, why not prepare a delicious homemade Foie Gras with Tonka Bean and 4-Spice Pepper?

To continue, we suggest you sublimate a Shoulder of suckling lamb confit with apricots, Alain Ducasse style.

Finally, finish on a sweet note with a Gâteau aux Pommes et Quatre-Épices (which you can easily replace with Poivre 4 Épices).

Origin and history of 4-Spice Pepper

Mexican pepper is one of the few spices for which we have no precise information on its historical origins. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that the Aztecs were already using it, notably in combination with cocoa to soften its bitterness and develop its more complex flavors.

It was Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the New World, who discovered the "all-spice", and the name pepper was attributed to it - probably out of ignorance of botany, but one might also suspect financial interest, since pepper was a rare spice with a high pecuniary value - by Dr Diego Àlvarez Chanca.

It wasn't until the 16th^century that "Indian wood", like other spices, made its way into European and Mediterranean kitchens.

Since then, it has been cultivated mainly in Central America and the West Indies.