Feb 28, 2009

Think Spice..Think Pepper..

Do you know which is the third most added ingredient to recipes? Yes it is 'The King of Spices - Pepper' with water and salt leading the race. Do you believe that it was once so valuable that it was used as currency? 

Looking back to the history of peppercorns...

Peppercorns are the seed berries of the Piper nigrum (piper being Latin for plant, and nigrum meaning black) vine, originating on the Malabar coast of India. Peppercorns are not only the oldest used spice, but also the most widely-used. Today, pepper, known as the King of Spices and the Master Spice, still accounts for one-fourth of the world's spice trade.

Some medicinal and household uses of pepper include...

Although always prized as a flavor-enhancing spice, the peppercorn first gained fame for medicinal purposes as a digestive stimulant and expectorant. Its hot and pungent flavor causes the membranes inside the nose and throat to exude a lubricating secretion, helpful to those in respiratory distress as an aid to cough up offending phlegm and mucus. Pepper was also used in an external ointment to relieve skin afflictions and hives. Black pepper is also an effective deterrant to insects. A solution of one-half teaspoon freshly ground pepper to one quart of warm water sprayed on plants can be toxic to ants, potato bugs, silverfish, and even roaches and moths. A sprinkling of ground pepper will also deter insect paths in non-garden areas.

Tips for storage of Pepper..

Store whole peppercorns in a sealed container in a cool, dry place up to one year. Ground pepper begins to lose flavor after about four months, so if you do not use a lot of pepper, avoid those huge cans. Brined peppercorns need to be refrigerated after opening and used within a month. 
Water-packed peppercorns have the shortest shelf life after opening they should refrigerated and used within one week.

(courtesy:Wikipedia, About.com)

Did you know that peppercorns come in black, white, green, red and pink in color? For more info read this..

You must be wondering why I am raving about this Master Spice Pepper.

Yes I am hosting this month's edition of Think Spice initially started by dear Sunita.

Here are some guidelines..

Post any dish featuring pepper as the main spice. Pepper can be used in any form (finely powdered, freshly ground or whole) and any variety of pepper can be used. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian posts are welcome. Multiple entries and old entries are accepted unless you add a link to this page. Uses and other Information about pepper can also be included in the post.

Post it on your blog anytime between March 1st and March 31st and please link back to this announcement and also to Sunita's Think Spice post.Feel free to use the logo.

Email me your entry with your name, picture of any size, recipe name and permalink to the recipe to divyablogs(at)gmail(dot)com . if you do not own a blog, send me your name, recipe, and picture. I will include it in the roundup. 

Now get your peppergrinders ready and start cooking!!

36 comments:

  1. Hi Divya..Hope u had a great vacation in India. I love ur template design.

    Pepper is my favourite spice. But Can i send my Egg dish?
    do mention it in the rules, whether N.V is allowed, so that u can get more collection of recipe's.

    ReplyDelete
  2. nice event...as lavi said please let us know can v send n.v recipes....

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey, nice event.. will try to send in something.. yes, pepper has lot of medicinal values..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Div,
    Nice choice, Love pepper... I send something for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice event.. will try to send in something... Hope u had a nice time in INDIA.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice event..will surely send in something...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great choice DV. Although I have temporarily stopped cooking for all events at Aroma, I do have one for you with pepper at Foodie's Hope next week, will send you! :))

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely choice of Spice, will try to send something..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice event divya..will send you something..nice info about pepper...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Its been a while since i last visited here and can see some changes. Your blog's new look is good.
    I see you're hosting Think Spice and pepper is a nice choice. have to think of something.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for taking on the hosting duties, Divya...and perpper is indeed a great choice :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great choice of spice and pepper is one of my favorites. So shall surely send you something.

    ReplyDelete
  13. At last today I am able to see it. Nice event. Will surely try to send you some entry. My father-in-law keeps telling use pepper in cooking as much as possible and reduce the amount of green chillies.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Peppers are ground....now thinking of a recipe :)
    Nice event !

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nice choice Divya. I can't imagine any dish without black pepper. Must it be the only spice in the recipe?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Divya, nice event and I really enjoyed reading this post so much info - thanks for sharing :0)

    Rosie x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Let me think something for this nice event. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi ..First time here..You have a neat blog..Will be around here :)Will send you my entry..

    ReplyDelete
  19. Neat look of the blog,loved the colour combos.
    And hey it match with the event too(black peppers highlighted)....sorry just went a bit silly side
    Coming to the event,let me start thinking ,coz though i very oftenly use pepper powder,i want to come up with something which actually makes some gr8 use of this peppercorns...hmm.... Eureka... i got one....ok so c u soon with my entry
    Happy hosting and all the very best

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great choice of spice DV..and yeah welcome back with a dashing event!!Love the new look of your blog,let me see if I can come up with something!

    ReplyDelete
  21. That is a nice event Divya..Will try to send somthing

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nice event! Will surely send a recipe soon..

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi divya..great event dear..:)
    Pls can u leme know if this entry qualifies for the event..:)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Good to see you back, Welcome back!!!. Hope you had a nice time.
    It was raining in California, when we there last week.
    Thanks for hosting the event.. will try to send in my entry.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh great...just love pepper and have plenty of recipes for this event :-))

    ReplyDelete
  26. Lovely event...will try and post something.

    ReplyDelete
  27. You'll get 4-5 entries from me for this spice. Get ready for the onslaught.

    And sorry about the previous comment... as I was typing, someone was talking to me about board exam tension... and I typed busy with studies? :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Good choice,I have an NV recipe,will post about it soon:)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Divya I just mailed you my entry

    ReplyDelete
  30. hey great event and incidentally !
    perfect for my new recipe...just mailed you :)
    Keep smiling!

    Regards
    Sahaja

    ReplyDelete
  31. Poornaima just posted a pepper chicken and sent it as an entry, which made me realize I have a pepper chicken on my blog too. Will send that to you for this event, Divya. Happy hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I Simply love pepper and this is so pepperich event..! Will surely contribute mine :) Do check my blog and give your suggestions..!

    ReplyDelete
  33. DV,
    can i send non-veg entries for the event...Lemme knw da..

    ReplyDelete
  34. Wow!! what a great event.i always like more pepper then spice.i think pepper is more than batter then spice for health.so i always avoid red chili in my cooking.thank you for shearing your post.

    ReplyDelete

Hi..
Thanks for dropping by my blog and rendering your valuable comments..Hope you had a nice time reading my recipes..Thanks for your encouragement..

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...