We are often asked what is going on with our white pepper, or rather: “Why does your white pepper smell like a cowshed? Is the goods spoiled?” In order to answer this question, we would like to take a look at the different types of pepper:
- Green pepper: The green pepper is already fully developed when it is harvested, but has not yet fully matured. The green pepper is then quickly dried and retains its characteristic color.
- Black pepper: Black pepper is also harvested fully developed, but in a stage between “still green”, ie immature and until just before maturity (yellow-orange). The pepper is then dried slowly and with oxidation. In this process, he develops the black color that is typical of him.
- Now we come to white pepper: in contrast to green and black pepper, this type of pepper is harvested fully ripe. At this point the pepper is red. Fermentation over several days removes the red, dark skin from the peppercorn. Fermentation is a biochemical process. Microbes form on the skin, which separate them from the grain over several days. Similar processes take place, for example, in the fermentation of alcohol. And it is precisely this process of fermentation that leaves the typical smell similar to a cowshed.
Why do other products sometimes not smell so strongly?
It is a machine-peeled form of the pepper. Since there is no fermentation involved, the smell is missing. But be careful: only if the pepper used was a fully ripened pepper can it also be called white pepper. Unripe peeled types of pepper are also white, but this is usually referred to as “light pepper”.
You should always ask yourself the one, crucial question:
If white pepper doesn’t have the smell and taste typical of white pepper, is it really white pepper?
According to our company philosophy, our white pepper is always of the highest quality. Hartkorn white pepper can smell like a cowshed. 🙂
And here are a few more
White pepper shopping tips:
