Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Long pepper
is harvested from the catkins of a plant known as Pippali. Some dishes use the entire catkin finely ground, other use just the seeds.
This spice is native to India and Indonesia and used in a variety of regional dishes. Whole and ground catkins is used in Indian pickles and African spice blends.
This peppery condiment is also known as piper longum, Pipal, Bengal or Indonesian Long Pepper, Lada Panjong, Thippili, Java or Javanese pepper according to a popular spice company.
The tiny seeds inside the pods are more intense in flavor than peppercorns so use sparingly. This hot spice has warm undertones similar to ginger.
These poppyseed sized fruits have been used medicinally for centuries to treat abnormal growths like tumors and relieve bronchitis and inflammation.
African countries also use it as an insecticide in the same way we use cayenne to deter ants and small mammals.
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