Uncategorized
Tellicherry Peppercorn Vs. Organic Black Pepper
Jul
The difference in Tellicherry Peppercorn Vs. Organic Black Pepper
When it comes to best peppercorns, there are quite a few varieties out there, the most common being the Black variety and the Tellicherry variety. Most people are probably clueless about the existence of such varieties; let alone know the differences between Tellicherry Peppercorn Vs. Organic Black Pepper
So, that brings us to the real question of what separates Tellicherry peppercorns from Black Peppercorns.
Well, there seems to be a lot of wrong information doing the rounds concerning these 2 varieties. You’ll find some “expert” websites stating that Tellicherry peppercorns are named so because of where they come from, which happens to be a commercial town called “Thalaserry” in the Indian state of Kerala. Truth be told, there is no connection between Tellicherry peppercorn and the town.
Other sources would tell you that Tellicherry peppercorns are left on the vine for longer periods of time. This isn’t true either. In fact, both, black and Tellicherry peppercorns are left on the vine for the same period of time.
One of the reasons why these misconceptions exist is because most companies do not import their peppercorns directly from India. They are dependent on brokers and other middlemen to source their spices. The geographical distance prevents people from actually getting to understand the roots of where these spices come from or how they’re cultivated.
To make things worse, they hunt the web for information, which only leads them to other erroneous sources.
The real deal
To begin with, Tellicherry peppercorn and organic Black pepper are sourced from the same vine. In fact, even white and green best peppercorns come from the same one. They all belong to the same species, referred to as “Piper Nigrum”.
The pepper fruits are picked out of the vine during the end of the growing season, which is in February and March. They are left out for drying over a period of several days. This is when they dry up and acquire a shriveled appearance. In other words, they turn into peppercorns.
The peppercorns are sent to a sorting facility, where they are separated based on size. Best peppercorns are labeled and marked according to their size. So essentially, it’s the size of the peppercorn that determines which variety it belongs to.
Tellicherry peppercorns are the biggest ones. They measure 4.25mm or more in circumference.
However, the differences don’t end only with size. In fact, the size plays a role in how the peppercorns develop flavor and aroma. Larger peppercorns, such as the Tellicherry variety lose heat as they grow. The reduction in heat causes the peppercorns to develop a better aroma. Basically, the bigger the peppercorn, the more flavorful and aromatic it becomes.
The Healthier option between Tellicherry peppercorn vs. organic black pepper
So, now that we know there’s no intrinsic difference between Tellicherry peppercorn vs. organic black pepper, it’s an obvious conclusion that there is no healthier option between the two. Both varieties offer roughly the same kind of health benefits. However, with Tellicherry peppercorns offering more aroma and flavor, it makes sense to use them as the ingredient/spice of choice.
Health Benefits of best peppercorns
Here are some of the benefits offered by the best peppercorns.
- Pepper is great for the stomach. It boosts the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which improves digestion. Improved digestion helps prevent conditions such as constipation and diarrhea.
- Pepper also stimulates urination and sweating, which is necessary for removing toxins from the body.
- Recent studies in the area of cell-structure and animal modeling found that black pepper is useful in fighting several medical conditions. For instance, peppercorns possess a free-radical scavenging property and active ingredients, which are useful in terms of chemoprevention and tumor growth control.
- Best Peppercorns also contain a key alkaloid component known as “piperine”, which assists in cognitive brain functioning. It also improves gastrointestinal functionality and absorption of nutrients.
- Peppercorns possess an outer layer that assists with the breakdown of fat cells. Therefore, including pepper as an ingredient in food can aid the weight loss process. Broken down fat cells are easy to process. They can be used for other bodily processes and enzymatic reactions.
- Peppercorns have also been observed to help with treating a condition which is called vitiligo. Vitiligo is a skin disease that results in certain areas of the skin losing their pigmentation. Researchers in London found that the piperine component in pepper stimulates the production of pigments in the skin. The topical application of piperine in tandem with Ultra Violet Light therapy has been observed to have an effect on vitiligo and is also safer when compared with chemical treatments. Additionally, UV light therapy helps prevent skin cancer.
- Peppercorns also help lower cholesterol. When consumed, the components in pepper, like fiber, “scrape” of the excess cholesterol in the arterial walls. This prevents conditions such as “atherosclerosis”, which is the main cause behind the cardiac arrest.
Sources:
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-black-pepper.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23768180