Mangalore Spice

Mangalore, Karnataka

Teppal or Tirphal (Zanthoxylum rhetsa) is a relatively less known spice compared to its more famous cousin Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum). Use of this spice having slightly larger berries is confined to Indias West coast where it appears in fish dishes.Though bearing some resemblance to black peppercorns, Szechuan pepper and its relatives do not belong to the pepper family, but are the dried berries of a tree. Teppal grows in grape-like bunches on a thorny tree. When dried, the fruit turns a brownish black and opens up exposing the black seeds which are discarded- only the husk being used.Teppal is mostly used in fish and some vegetarian dishes, with a paste of coconut and chilies. Contrasting conventional Indian cooking habits, it is normally not combined with other spices since its flavour is considered delicate and gets easily lost among other spices. The dried fruits of Szechuan pepper and its relatives have an aromatic odour that can be described as lemon-like, with more or less pronounced warm and woody overtones. While eating, teppal is not consumed but discarded.For the more adventurous it is found in the famous Chinese Five Spice Powder which typically uses these five spices: Star anise, fennel, cinnamon, clove, and Szechuan peppercorns. Five Spice Powder is a blend whose presence in foods can be positively haunting, as it elevates fatty, meat dishes to mysterious heights. It warms and cools the tongue all at once and enhances meat's richness while providing enough bite to cut through it all. Even if you don't cook much Chinese food, this is a spice mixture worth trying out.

Because of its color, white pepper is ideal for use in white sauces, pasta salads and seafood dishes. White pepper retains the full pungency of black pepper, but has an altered flavour due to partial loss of aroma compounds. White pepper starts out the same as the black, but is allowed to ripen more fully on the vine, while black pepper is made from green berries. The outer shell is then removed either by soaking the berries in water until the shell falls off, or by placing them under flowing spring water, yielding a whiter, cleaner pepper. White pepper is most often used in white or light-coloured dishes and sauces so there won't be any black flecks. And what does white pepper taste like? It is a little bit hot, a little bit winey and a great deal earthy. The key distinction between white and black pepper is white pepper's earthiness. White pepper is widely used in Indian, Asian and Mexican cuisines. In Indian cuisine, white pepper is used for white or cream based gravies and curries. It is also commonly used in light coloured Continental dishes like casseroles, pies, creamy shrimp and scallop sauces, mayonnaise and cream based soups. White pepper pairs splendidly with another earthy spice, cumin.