Content
- Different types of pepper for the passionate gardener
- Real pepper
- Other types of "pepper"
- Pepper family of the genus "Piper"
- Pepper family of the genus "Capsicum"
- Other types of pepper
- Tips & Tricks
Different types of pepper for the passionate gardener
The real pepper (Piper nigrum) comes from the coasts of southwest India and is at home in the tropics. The climber comes from the family of pepper plants (Piperaceae), which contains about 1000 different species. For the extraction of the pepper pepper, however, only the real pepper is interesting. There are also a number of plants that also bear the name "pepper", but are not related to the actual pepper.
Early article Pepper grow - Can this succeed? Next article Insert fresh pepperReal pepper
Black, green, red or white pepper - there are apparently many different types of pepper available on the market. However, it is not, as is often the case, different species, but merely different levels of ripeness and preparation of the fruit of the genus.
Black pepper - probably the most popular variant - is harvested shortly before maturity. Then the fruits have taken on a yellow-orange color. Only by drying in the sun take the peppercorns the eponymous black color and also become wrinkled.
Also the green pepper is harvested in immature condition. However, you put the still fresh peppercorns in brine, which on the one hand keep their beautiful green color and on the other hand preserved. in another method, the preservation for freeze drying.
White pepper is made from fully ripe, d. H. sat red, peppercorns won. The light color results from the peeling of the fruits, only afterwards the inside is dried. White pepper is much milder than the black one.
The rather rare red pepper is also made from ripe fruit, but these are not peeled. These peppercorns are often inserted in brine.
Other types of "pepper"
In addition to the listed varieties of the real pepper still bear a number of plants this name, even if they are basically nothing to do with the real pepper and sometimes even do not belong to the same plant family. Nevertheless, it is not only delicious spices, but quite for the hobby gardener to interesting growths.
Pepper family of the genus "Piper"
The so-called long pepper (Piper longum) or also barley pepper also comes from India and is used similar to black pepper. This pepper was also the first to reach Europe and was very popular for several centuries. Kubeben pepper or tail pepper (Piper cubeba) was also the preferred pepper variety in Europe for a long time - until the Portuguese king banned the sale because he wanted to promote the profitable black pepper. The species is native to the Indonesian island of Java.
Pepper family of the genus "Capsicum"
These are exclusively the different varieties of peppers or chili, which was formerly referred to as "Spanish pepper" because of their sharpness. The Spanish conquerors brought the plants from the New World to Europe, where they quickly became very popular.
Other types of pepper
Pepper mixtures ("colorful pepper") often contain pink peppercorns. These come from the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), a sumac plant up to nine meters high. Also from the New World comes the well-known as clove pepper allspice (Pimenta dioica), which is actually a myrtle plant. The Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum) or Chinese pepper or aniseed pepper is one of the large family of citrus. He is ideal for raising bonsai, otherwise his seed pods are mainly used in Chinese cuisine as a spice.
Tips & Tricks
In Germany, pure pepper can only be grown in greenhouses or appropriately heated conservatories. Plants of the species Capsicum as well as the Brazilian pepper have significantly lower demands with regard to housing conditions and care.
IJA