JAMAICAN PEPPER - WARM AND SPICY NOTES

In terms of aromatic palette, it presents warm and spicy olfactory notes, which are not without reminding us of clove. Then the scent of freshly grated nutmeg is recognized and subtly combined with empyreumatic notes. Then it is the turn of cinnamon, with a light peppery touch, to enter this olfactory dance.

To close this ball of flavors, lemon and minty notes (easily reminiscent of eucalyptus), come to bring a soft freshness.

Jamaica Pepper is very fragrant, but not pungent

it is necessary to know how to be parsimonious in the use of this spice because it presents a very powerful taste (and its role is to sublimate your dishes, not to smother them). It will be enough to proportion it as well as your usual pepper, in order to raise and sublimate your dishes by bringing them this so particular aromatic mixture.

If you want to get an idea of how it will taste in your dishes, don't hesitate to take the time to taste it, by slipping a single grain under your teeth. Let this grain crack and spread all its flavors. You will gradually feel the release of each of the flavors that this spice presents. This is probably the best method to avoid mistakes in the dosage of Jamaica Pepper.

Like Java Long Pepper, Jamaica Pepper can be cooked for a long time.

The Jamaica Pepper is the fruit of the tree bearing the same name (its botanical name is Pimenta dioica)

Of the Myrtaceae family. This species, about 10 meters high, grows in the tropical regions of America and its fruits are the source of a spice called "four-spice" (we will see why later). Its leaves give off a strong clove smell.

Once the flowers of this magnificent tree wither, the berries appear. They are spherical, small in size, have a brownish tint (reminiscent of the small clay balls we place at the bottom of our flower pots) and then when they ripen turn red, each containing two darker seeds. If you want to obtain the quintessence of their flavor, you must harvest the berries before the seeds ripen.

This tree reaches maturity at about 15 years, and is then able to produce fruit for an average of 100 years (about 50 kg of fruit/tree). After harvesting, the same drying process is applied to Jamaica Pepper berries as to other peppers (sun drying for about 10 days, then cleaning and finally careful sorting).

Once the drying process is complete, it is easy to understand why one of the names Jamaica Pepper is called " Four Spice ": these dried berries give off delicious aromas reminiscent of ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon (a combination we all know and love to use in gingerbread).

As for the leaf of this tree, it is used as a condiment, like a bay leaf. It enters in particular in the list of the ingredients of the West Indian blood sausage of which it comes to raise sublimely the taste.

RECIPE IDEAS WITH JAMAICAN PEPPER

Jamaica Pepper being fragrant but not spicy, it will be able to marry without worry with all kinds of meats, sauces, or even desserts.

Savory recipes:

Use the Jamaica Pepper on your red meats, game or fish (especially fatty fish such as herring, sardines, mackerel,...). Because of its resistance to long cooking, you can use it in your stewed dishes, it will sublimate your stews and other pot-au-feu. You will also make an excellent ingredient of your marinades, and, by correlation, it will know how to sublimate all your pieces of meat planned for a barbecue (besides, it constitutes a succulent marriage with the herbs of Provence!). It will be very surprising on a grilled escalope of foie gras, as much as it will bring a unique flavor to your curries!

Vegetables are not left out since Jamaica Pepper will enhance the flavors of your fall vegetables (especially in a pumpkin soup or a mashed potato or sweet potato), but also your vegetable juices (carrot juice, tomato juice, beet juice, ...).

It can find its place in any dish in which the "Four Spices" would have its own.

Jamaica Pepper can also become 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:

Jamaica Pepper being, by essence, versatile, it will also lend itself to the game of desserts (whether in pastries, gingerbread, chocolate-based desserts, or those based on fruit).

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

In compotes, it will be the tasty companion of your favorite fruits (of course, apples and pears will be a perfect match for this spice with cinnamon notes).

Jamaica Pepper around the world:

In its country of origin, this spice is widely used especially in Jerk cooking. Surprisingly, we find the Jamaica Pepper in many dishes of the Eastern European countries.
We will also find it in the original recipe of ketchup: the Chinese version!

In chutneys, it will reveal its many aromatic notes by revealing its sweet and sour flavor.
It is even the unexpected ingredient of two French alcoholic drinks: Benedictine (from Fécamp) and the famous Chartreuse (whose tradition comes from Isère).

With its many uses in various fields, it is understandable that one of its names is " all-spice "!

Compose your meal around the Jamaica Pepper :

As an appetizer, why not prepare a delicious homemade Foie Gras with Tonka Bean and Jamaica Pepper?

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

Finally, finish on a sweet note with an Apple and Four Spice Cake (which you can easily replace with Jamaica Pepper).

Origin and history of Jamaica Pepper

The Jamaica Pepper is one of the few that we do not have precise information about its origin in history. Nevertheless, we can affirm, without hesitation, that the Aztecs already used it, in particular by associating it with cocoa in order to soften the bitterness and to develop the most complex flavors.

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

It was not until the ^16th century that "Indian wood" made its way into European and Mediterranean kitchens, along with other spices.

Since then, it is still mainly cultivated in Jamaica, Central America and the West Indies.