INTRODUCING PIPPALI - THE INDIAN LONG PEPPER
It’s the festive season and culturally, in Britain, we enjoy more of a variety of spices in our traditional foods at this time of year. Think cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, dried ginger, allspice and more in our Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies. These made their way into our diets in Medieval times where spices and the exotic fruits (think oranges, raisins and cranberries) of the East were purchased by the wealthy. Black pepper was so highly valued that it was often used as rent, dowry and tax. Nowadays, many of these spices have entered our everyday diets in Europe and beyond. You can find salt and pepper shakers on almost every restaurant table in Britain.
Today I wanted to introduce you to black pepper’s lesser known cousin pippali. Members of the Piperaceae family, both black pepper and pippali contain the powerful nutritional compound piperine, a powerful antioxidant that boosts digestion and enhances the absorption of nutrients. Pippali (aka long pepper because it grows as a long, slender, and wrinkled fruit as opposed to the berries of black pepper) is primarily cultivated in India and parts of Southeast Asia where it is most often used medicinally than its culinary cousin.
While black pepper offers a sharp, pungent flavor with an immediate and straight forward heat, pippali has a more complex flavor that is pungent, slightly sweet, and spicy, with a warm, lingering heat.
Pipalli is valued higher medicinally in Ayurveda for its stronger efficacy. Not only supporting our digestion - especially at this time of year where we look to heavier and stodgier foods to keep us warm and our spirits high, it has excellent respiratory benefits and acts as an expectorant and is often used in formulations for cough and asthma.
While pippali is a staple in traditional Ayurvedic remedies, it’s also an incredible culinary spice that we can utilize in our cooking - the key, like everything, is not to overdo it! One of the ways I incorporate it is as an alternative anywhere else I might use black pepper (so basically nearly every dish!) but also in my Golden Milk. You know how any turmeric drinks and dishes have black pepper in them as well? That's because the piperine aids the efficacy of curcumin - the active compound in turmeric. Curcumin, while beneficial, has low bioavailability, meaning that the body doesn’t absorb it efficiently. Studies suggest that piperine, the active compound in pippali, can increase the absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000%. This is crucial for maximizing the health benefits of turmeric. So to make a more potent and more authentic Haldi Doodh or Golden Milk consider adding pippali to your spice cupboard.
You can buy pippali pre ground or, for a fresher flavour and higher nutritional profile, grind it yourself from the long dried berries. To use in a standard pepper grinder, break the peppercorns once or twice before adding them to the mill. Here are a few more ways to use it:
1. Pippali Tea:
To make a soothing pippali tea, boil water and add a pinch of pippali powder. Let it steep for 5-10 minutes, strain, and enjoy. You can add lemon or raw honey (once cool enough to touch) for extra flavor.
2. Spice Blend:
Combine pippali with other spices like turmeric and ginger, to create a warming spice blend that you can have on-hand in the kitchen when you’re cooking. This mix can also be sprinkled on shop bought ready to eat dishes to increase flavour, nutrients and digestibility!
3. Respiratory Remedy:
A great remedy to know about at this time of year - spices mixed with raw honey to help heat and detoxify the body. An Ayurvedic remedy for coughs, head colds and sinus infections - just use pippali in place of black pepper for punchier remedy. Find it on page 253 of East by West.
*While pippali is generally safe for most people, it’s important to use it in moderation. It can be bought as Ayurvedic supplements but these are best checked with an Ayurvedic practitioner if they are right for you and if so, recommended dosages. Individuals with specific health conditions, particularly those related to the stomach or gastrointestinal tract, should consult a healthcare professional before incorporating it into their diet.
USE PIPPALI IN PLACE OF BLACK PEPPER IN THESE RECIPES:
LEMON, TURMERIC AND BLACK PEPPER SALMON WITH SPRING GREENS
