Long pepper

Lore & Background

Long pepper was used in Greece in the sixth or fifth century BCE, though Hippocrates discussed it as a medicine rather than a spice. Among the Greeks and Romans and prior to the Columbian exchange, long pepper was a common spice. The ancient history of long pepper is often interlinked with that of black pepper; Theophrastus distinguished the two in his work of botany, and the Romans knew of both but their word for pepper usually meant black pepper. Pliny erroneously believed dried black pepper and long pepper came from the same plant.

Black pepper was already widely used in Europe long before the twelfth century, and while it grew in popularity, long pepper was not fully displaced by the fourteenth. The quest for cheaper and more dependable sources of black pepper fueled the Age of Discovery. After the discovery of the American continents and of chili pepper, called by the Spanish pimiento (from Latin 'pigmentum', originally used for black pepper and later chili peppers), the popularity of long pepper faded. Chili peppers, which are pods with capsaicin heat, are distinctly different in shape and taste from long pepper's catkin-like spike with piperine heat, and were easier to grow in locations more convenient to Europe. Today, long pepper is a rarity in general commerce.

Reader's Guide

Long pepper holds historical significance as a major spice in ancient Greek and Roman cuisine, predating the dominance of black pepper in Europe. Its use in Greece as early as the sixth or fifth century BCE, documented by Hippocrates as a medicine, marks it as one of the earliest known pepper varieties in the West. The confusion between long pepper and black pepper in classical sources, such as Pliny's mistaken belief they came from the same plant, illustrates the evolving botanical knowledge of the time. The eventual displacement of long pepper by black pepper in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries and later by chili peppers from the Americas reshaped global spice trade and culinary practices. The word 'pepper' itself derives from the Sanskrit 'pippali' for long pepper, showing its linguistic legacy. Today, long pepper remains a rare ingredient in European cuisines but persists in Indian and Nepalese vegetable pickles, North African spice mixtures, and Indonesian and Malaysian cooking. It is readily available at some Indian grocery stores, often labeled pippali, and is the main spice of nihari, a popular meat stew from India and one of the national dishes of Pakistan.

Did You Know?

• The word 'pepper' derives from the Sanskrit word for long pepper, pippali.
• Pliny erroneously believed dried black pepper and long pepper came from the same plant.
• Long pepper contains the compound piperine, which contributes to its pungency.
• Another species, Piper retrofractum, is native to Java, Indonesia, and its fruits are often confused with long pepper, not chili peppers.