Penja White Pepper - Cameroon

What is white Penja pepper?

White Penja pepper is a pepper of the piper negrum family. It is a rare pepper cultivated in Cameroon, but actually originally comes from India. Thanks to Antoine Decré, we can now enjoy this pepper with its wonderful flavours, recognized as one of the best peppers in the world. Antoine Decré was a banana planter in Penja, a commune of the department of Moungo located on the Atlantic coast. One day he decided to plant Indian piper negrum lianas to see how this plant would behave on a volcanic soil such as that of Penja. He was very pleased with the world-wide reputation of this pepper, but also with the city of Penja, which enjoys a very good visibility thanks to its production. Since 2013, Penja pepper has been officially recognized. Thus, the city was able to obtain the first Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in Africa for its pepper. White Penja pepper is a rare pepper that is not widely cultivated despite its taste qualities. Indeed, banana growers find greater and faster profitability with their fruits.

What is the flavour of white Penja pepper?

White Penja pepper offers a very nice length in the mouth. Spicy, it reveals surprising and delicious animal and mentholated notes. You will be seduced by its powerful taste which makes it one of the best peppers in the world.

Harvesting of white Penja pepper in the plantations

If white Penja pepper is a rare and exceptional pepper, it is mainly due to its cultivation. It is harvested when it is red, and therefore when ripe, according to a traditional method. Harvested by hand, this pepper is then processed. It is washed so that its red envelope can be detached. At the end of fermentation, the white pepper is recovered and put in the sun to be dried. The production of this Penja white pepper is very confidential. One evokes between 15 and 20 tons per year for a world pepper production of more than 300 000 tons each year.

How to use white Penja pepper in cooking?

This wild and delicate pepper is a real partner in your kitchen. Sold in grains, it can be crushed or ground according to the use you wish to make of it. As an aperitif, you can perfectly imagine small balls of goat's cheese sprinkled with white Penja pepper to enhance its taste. As a starter, nothing could be simpler, the white pepper will season your raw vegetable salads or more elaborate salads with, for example, shrimps or smoked salmon. This pepper from Cameroon goes perfectly with red meat. Marinated with this pepper or accompanied by a homemade pepper sauce, your meat will reveal all its flavours and benefit from the power of this spice. Naturally, this pepper goes very well with white meats (turkey, chicken, etc.), but also with fish. In a papillote, pepper gives another dimension to your fish. Penja white pepper can also be delicious for dessert. It is well known that pepper goes perfectly with chocolate and fruit. Why not imagine a delicious pear and chocolate pie with pepper to spice up this dessert and slightly break up the sometimes too sweet flavours?

The health benefits of white Penja pepper

White Penja pepper, like all peppers, has virtues for health beyond the gustatory pleasure it can bring. Thus, this pepper helps digestion by stimulating the taste buds and allowing a greater secretion of saliva. Like chocolate, pepper is an antidepressant thanks to the presence of piperine, which increases the level of serotonin and endorphins in the body.

Preservation of white Penja pepper

White Penja pepper comes in an airtight bag. I advise you to keep it away from light, air and humidity.

Origin of this pepper Cameroon, in the department of Moungo, in Penja

Other names for White Penja pepper Treasure of Cameroon, bird pepper

White Penja pepper: is it spicy? Yes this pepper is quite spicy, put very little and taste your preparation to adjust.