The Importance Of Pepper Powder In Indian Kitchens

Pepper is everywhere, from being an ingredient in most ground spice mixes like fish fry masala to sitting atop our dining tables as a seasoning, this spice is hands down an extremely popular spice around the world. Piper nigrum is the shrub that both black and white pepper come from. Pepper originated on the west coast of India, in a region called Malabar, and since then has been grown in Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Although India has continued being the largest exporter of black pepper. Black pepper is rightfully called the king of spices, it is used in almost every ground masala mix in India like garam masala, chole masala, tikka masala, and so on, making pepper one of the most important spices in Indian cuisine.

Have you ever wondered where pepper gets its fiery taste from? Well, pepper contains quite a few alkaloids like piperine that gives it its heat but it gets its pungent flavor from a resin called chavicine. Very often a meat masala, especially a wet one, will contain an oil which is distilled from peppercorns. That’s how meat masalas get their fiery hot flavor. In the southern states of India, rasam, a vegetarian alternative to chicken broth soup is prepared using hot pepper. Although loved and used throughout India, whole peppercorns and pepper powder are more widely used in day-to-day cooking in South India. Another fan favorite pepper-based dish is butter garlic prawns and crabs - either prawns or crabs are sautéed in a sauce made of butter, garlic and pepper powder. Pepper is such a fragrant and flavorful spice that quite a few dishes in India are made using simply pepper as the starring spice. A great example of such a dish is pepper rice made by tossing rice into sautéed onions, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cashew nuts, and coarsely ground peppercorns. Pepper chicken, where chicken is cooked with coarsely ground peppercorns and garam masala is another classic peppery dish that is loved by all. Even as kids, we absolutely loved sprinkling our boiled eggs with black pepper powder for breakfast.

At some point in life everyone’s grandmother or mother has stirred up a pot of kadha when they’ve been under the weather. And what’s got a starring role in kadhas? You guessed it right, pepper! In India, pepper isn’t just used as a flavoring agent, it is also widely used as an at-home treatment for a number of ailments like nausea, headaches, arthritis, sore throats, indigestion, fever, and colds. According to Ayurveda, pepper is said to increase oxygen’s flow to the brain, improve circulation, aid digestion, and promote internal heat that helps fight against certain infections. This makes pepper a go-to ingredient when we whip up DIY Ayurvedic concoctions at home.

Thanks to its flavor, aroma, and medicinal properties, pepper is an absolute staple in Indian houses. So the next time you’re restocking your spice rack, do not forget to add pepper powder to your shopping list.