Pepper blends feature pepper as the main ingredient and can include various types of peppercorns and other spices. Pepper is widely used in traditional cuisines and should be stored properly for the best flavor. Making your own blend can create a custom flavor.
A pepper blend is a spice blend that features pepper as the central ingredient. Many cooks enjoy working with pepper because it has a sharp, savory flavor that can liven up a wide variety of dishes, and pepper is so widely used around the world that it appears in most traditional cuisines. Most markets carry blends of peppers, and it’s even possible to make your own version at home to create a custom flavor.
In the first sense, a pepper blend is a blend of various pepper varieties. Depending on when peppercorns are harvested and how they are treated, they have various appearances and flavors, so a peppercorn blend can include white, green, pink and black peppercorns, all from the same plant. Blending peppercorn styles can create a very distinctive and layered flavor that some consumers find quite enjoyable.
At one time, peppercorns were quite valuable, with the spice being a very popular export. Since pepper is native to India, it should come as no surprise to learn that Indian cuisine often features exotic blends of pepper, and that pepper’s distinctive flavor plays an important role in Indian food. From India, the spice crossed over to the Middle East, reaching Egypt to be included in tombs by at least 1000 BC, and probably much earlier. Europeans acquired a taste for the spice, where it was often used in food preservation as well as various food preparations.
A pepper blend may also include a certain variety of pepper and other spices. For example, lemon pepper is a popular blend that combines the flavors of lemon and pepper, and pepper blends can also be made with sugar and various other spices. In Japan, pepper concoctions are often placed on the table, allowing people to season their food as desired.
Like other spices, pepper should be stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature, and should be used within six months to a year for the best flavor. Ideally, pepper should also be ground when needed, rather than stored in a ground form. Some people like to keep peppercorn blends in their pepper mills to make it easier to grind a peppercorn blend as needed, and peppercorn blends can also be made in grinders as needed. If you have pepper blend in ground form, be sure to store it carefully and date the container so you know how old it is.
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