Our white pepper ground is a medium grind falling between a fine and a course milling. It is the ideal size for a pepper or spice shaker and is lovely sprinkled on top of roasted vegetables and stirred into alfredo sauces. White pepper is generally considered to have a mild, more delicate flavor than black pepper.
Black, green, and white pepper all come from the same plant, Piper nigrum, an evergreen climbing vine found cultivated in tropical regions around the world. Native to southern India, Piper nigrum is a member of the Piperaceae family. This is the same family its cousin long pepper and kava kava belong to. White peppercorn is actually the seed of the fruit, which is plucked once fully ripened on the vine. White pepper has an interesting traditional processing method where the peppercorn is soaked in water for approximately one week, the outer papery skin is removed, and then it is dried. We powder whole organic peppercorns for our ground white pepper.
The black pepper many of us use every day to season food has a wide variety of applications and white pepper has similar but milder effects. White pepper tends to be more floral, earthy, and have greater complexity compared to black pepper which is often enjoyed for its pungent zest. White pepper’s gentler taste is due to the outer skin being removed after soaking. This strips away one of the main chemical constituents of the black peppercorn, piperine, which is concentrated in the papery outer layer and thought to be responsible for the peppercorn’s pungency and healthful qualities.
White pepper is popular in European, Chinese, and Thai cooking. Considered a staple spice of several Chinese dishes, ground white pepper can also be added to salads, potato recipes, and dishes where a uniform light-color is desired. It is especially lovely in creamy chowders, marinades, and stir fries. White pepper is most useful for adding a faint peppery flavor to light-colored sauces and soup without adding flecks of color.
