pepper

One of the most ancient spices we sell is the long pepper, also called long black pepper, Indian long pepper, jaborandi pepper and a host of other names. Continue reading →

In the Northern California wine country, where we keep our Napa Valley shop, the concept of “terroir” is a familiar one. Continue reading →

Thicker than a soup but thinner than a stew, Hungarian goulash has become its native country’s most famous culinary export — along with Hungarian paprika, which gives the dish its distinctive warm and fruity pepper flavor. Continue reading →

This week's recipes, all warm salads with fresh vegetables, are easy-to-prepare side dishes in the Moroccan tradition of Ronit's family.

"Growing up, our dinner or lunch would start with warm salads of all kinds: spiced carrots, roasted chili pepper with lemon and garlic, flatbread with zahtar, zaalouk with roasted eggplants," Ronit recalls.

"We never had any frozen food or snacks; everything my mother made was fresh," she adds.

"I was always impressed by her natural confidence in the kitchen. She never used any written recipes." Continue reading →

Where do the world's hottest chili peppers come from?

For a while there, it was India and Bangladesh, home of the ghost pepper (bhut jolokia). Back in 2007, the Guinness Book of World Records declared the ghost chili pepper to be the hottest in existence: The Scoville scale of pepper heat measures its spiciness at more than 1 million heat units.

The ghost pepper was unseated by a Caribbean chili in 2012, when the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Pepper (1.2 million Scoville heat units) was named the worlds hottest by the Chili Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. Continue reading →

If you haven't tried Kashmiri chili, make room in your spice cupboard for this vibrantly red pepper that brings more color than heat to the dishes it flavors.

Grown in India, Kashmiri chili is hotter than paprika and milder than cayenne; some cooks mix the two if they can't get the more colorful Kashmiri chili. It's equally at home as a substitute for hotter peppers, if you don't want a fiery dish, or for paprika if you do prefer more heat.

With the deep red hue it imparts to foods, Kashmiri chili is called for in many dishes from the Indian subcontinent. It's also good in Mexican hot chocolate, chili-chocolate cookies and this vegan freezer fudge recipe from the My Heart Beets blog. In fact, you can use Kashmiri chili in any dish calling for chili pepper. Continue reading →

Pepper has been long hailed as the King of Spice. One of the most sought-after seasonings during the ancient spice trade days; it still remains as popular as ever in cuisines around the world.

It's easy to see why. Pepper can be used in just about any type of dish, both savory and sweet. It's the natural companion to salt for the most basic seasonings. And while black pepper is the most familiar form of this spice, there are many other types, each with its own distinct characteristics. Continue reading →