Organic Kerala black pepper

Native to the state of Kerala, in southwest India, between the Western Ghats mountains to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west, on the Malabar coast, Karimunda pepper is considered one of the oldest and finest peppers in the world. best peppers in the world.

It's a Piper nigrum, the famous tropical liana, which makes it a real pepper, unlike its cousins cubeb, Jamaican pepper or Sichuan pepper, for example.

This exceptional variety grows in the humid valleys of Kerala, between 1000 and 1500 m altitude.

Conditions here are optimal, allowing the vines of this Piper nigrum to grow up to 15 m tall! They wrap themselves around the trunks of trees to let the irresistible, wild, fragrant fruits ripen.The one sold here comes from a small 5-hectare plot where other spices such as vanilla, cardamom, turmeric and cloves are grown, contributing to its unique flavor.

From the age of 4, the pepper tree bears its first fruit, becoming fully productive from the 7th year. Each vine supports 30 to 40 bunches. This variety is rarely grown, however, because of its low yield.
Like all black peppers, the fruit is harvested when almost ripe (and not green, as is sometimes the case), then slowly dried in the sun, a process that gives it its black color, wrinkled appearance and concentrated aroma.

Kerala stretches along the Malabar coast

also known as the Spice Coast. It was from this region that the English controlled the spice market from the early 18th century, thanks to their colonial trading post. The cradle of pepper, from which the ancestor Malabar pepperthe region accounts for 70% of India's spice production.

75 different cultivars are grown in India.

Karimunda is the most widely grown variety in Kerala. Other important varieties are : Kottadanan (southern Kerala), Narayakodi (central Kerala), Aimpyriam (Wayanad), Neelamundi (Idukki), Kuthiravally (Kozhikode and Idukki), Balancotta, Kalluvally (northern Kerala), Malligesara and Uddagare (Karnataka). Kottadanam has the highest oleoresin content (17.8%), followed by Aimpyriam (15.7%). 16 varieties of black pepper have been developed at the Panniyur research center in Kerala.

Botany: Piper nigrum L. (INPN)
Origin: Kerala, India
Ingredients : 100% organic black pepper
Storage : Several years, protected from light and humidity.
Product strength: 6 (Scoville)