Madagascar black pepper
Short answer: Madagascar black pepper is grown on vines in the undergrowth, its berries picked at full ripeness and then dried in the sun. More fragrant and rounder than industrial peppers, it gives a heat that builds slowly and the fruity notes that are its signature.
Madagascar black pepper is an everyday pepper with a real character: it lifts a dish without attacking it, perfumes without masking, and holds up remarkably well through long cooking.
Where Madagascar black pepper comes from
The pepper plant (Piper nigrum) is a vine that winds around a support tree. In Madagascar it grows in the humid regions of the east coast. The spikes are picked at full ripeness, then the corns are sun-dried for several days, which turns them black and concentrates their aroma.
Aroma profile: warm, fruity, slow-building
Madagascar black pepper gives fruity notes close to cooked plum, a round heat, and the length on the palate you find in the finest peppers in the world. Its piperine sits inside a complete aromatic frame, which makes it delicious rather than merely strong.
How to use black pepper in the kitchen
Black pepper should be ground to order. Grinding it in advance costs 80% of the perfume within a few hours. For long cooking, add part of it at the start for depth and the rest at the end for freshness.
- As a finishing touch on grilled meat, cooked fish or a pasta dish.
- In a marinade or a stock.
- With turmeric, whose absorption it improves.
- In a pepper ice cream, a peppered caramel or a chocolate dessert.
How to store black pepper
Keep the corns whole in an airtight jar, away from light. They hold their intensity for 2 to 3 years. Avoid buying pepper ready ground: it oxidises quickly and loses its finest aromas.
Frequently asked questions
Black pepper or white pepper? Black is warmer and woodier. White is cleaner and sharper, without the fruit. See our white pepper page.
How many turns of the mill? 2 to 4 turns per person as a finishing touch is a good rule of thumb.
Why grind to order? The essential oils in pepper evaporate the moment the corn is broken. Grinding to order is how you keep 100% of the perfume.
Buying Madagascar black pepper
For everyday cooking, choose the 50 g mill, the 50 g pouch or the pouch and mill pack.
See also: our black pepper, the peppers & berries blend and our guide to Madagascar peppers.
