Which of the known peppers are not peppers? (Part 2)

In our second episode of the journey for peppers, which basically are not peppers at all, we again look into different corners of our planet from which plants known for their characteristic taste and aroma named after peppercorn originate. Their naming often happened based on confused translations, thanks to which today paprika (pepper) in the English language has the same designation as pepper (pepper), or due to similarities with classic pepper.

Chili named as pepper

This is also the case with the so-called cayenne pepper, named after the port city of Cayenne in French Guiana. This "pepper" is actually a spicy, finely ground paprika that plays an important role, for example, in Mexican cuisine. It gives it that hellish spiciness.

In our first encounter with non-pepper pepper, we ended up in Africa. On this continent, you can also find a spice called allspice. These are the fruits of an interesting plant found in the swampy areas of the West African coast. Again, these are fruits with a spicy taste, thanks to which the grains hidden in a large pod are sometimes mistaken for classic pepper.

Peppery taste, but it is not pepper

And we will still stay in Africa thanks to Ethiopian pepper. It is also known as bitter wood and is a tree growing in the regions of sub-Saharan Africa. It also produces seeds with a distinct pungent taste. The seeds in this case are used not only as a seasoning for dishes but are also popular for their medicinal effects.

Even when you add a bit of that mountain pepper to your food, it is not pepper at all. These are the fruits of a shrub from the region of Australia and nearby Tasmania. The taste of this spice is initially surprisingly sweet but very quickly changes to peppery.

We will end our story with the intoxicating drink kawa or awa, which is obtained from the roots of a plant known as the intoxicating pepper vine. It is a drink characterized by its relaxing and stimulating effects, similar to coffee.

So next time you buy pepper that is not labeled as black, green, white, or red, it definitely is not true pepper. There is only one true pepper, and the best one is grown in the Cambodian region of Kampot. If you want to learn its original story, you can do so with us!

Did you miss the first part of our pepper revelation? You can read it here.