Timiz pepper (Bonga pepper)

Timiz pepper comes from the Piper capense pepper plant, a close cousin of Piper nigrum pepper.
It is a little-known spice, unlike the long Java pepper with which it is often confused. Nor should it be confused with long red Kampot pepper, a close relative of Java pepper.

It grows naturally in the high-altitude tropical forests of the Bonga region (Ethiopia).

It has a distinctive appearance: a small, elongated, dried spike, black or very dark brown in color.

Timiz pepper, unlike long Java pepper, is more fragile because its surface is made up of hundreds of tiny seeds clustered together on a small branch. These small seeds are easily detached.
Long Java pepper, on the other hand, also has seeds, but they are firmly attached to the central branch.

Both are very different in taste, with the African long pepper not stinging. It tastes more like a spice than a pepper.
Its flavor is complex: a smoky, subtly earthy top note is followed by aromas of tobacco and roasted herbs, which give way to a subtly minty camphor taste. It has impressive aromatic power, yet remains warm and suave.
The complex, powerful yet delicate nose delivers intense aromas of Havana tobacco, resin and roasted herbs. On the palate, it's suave and warm, with a piquant, warm texture that's extremely long and complex.

Historical background:
Timiz pepper is endemic to Ethiopia. In fact, it has only been on the market since 1984. It is often found in Ethiopian cuisine, which uses few spices but lots of pepper.

The government of Ethiopia has awarded a special status to a region in the southwest, the Kaffa-Shaka region, as a "zone of specialization" in spice production, particularly for Kororima pods, Timiz long pepper, Berber long pepper, Ruta chalepensis, ginger and cardamom.
In this region, where coffee is also grown, an ecologically unsound crop that modifies local biodiversity, the government wishes to preserve and encourage the cultivation of spices and the production of Masha white honey, by creating a specialization zone in Kaffa-Shaka.

The region's status gives its inhabitants access to training in cultivation, as well as to spice plants and seeds, in order to encourage a new lucrative and environmentally-friendly activity, unlike the widespread cultivation of coffee in the country.
In this context, Timiz forest pepper would be one of the first African agricultural products to obtain an IGP, Protected Geographical Indication, in the same way as Cameroon's Penja pepper.

Most of the Timiz pepper harvested comes from the area around Bonga, capital of the country's protected zone. It is picked in the forest by the Manjos, a very closed group of Ethiopians, at the very bottom of the country's social ladder, but with many skills concerning the forest, cultivation and picking.
Originally, only the Manjos knew about Timiz, which they used solely for therapeutic purposes, but not at all as a condiment in cooking.
Timiz is the name given to pepper in Amharic, the Ethiopian language.

Botany: Piper capense (INPN)
Origin: Ethiopia, Africa
Other names: African long pepper, forest pepper, Ethiopian pepper, Bonga or turfo pepper
Ingredients: 100% Timiz pepper
Storage: Several years, protected from light and humidity.
Product strength: 6 (Scoville)