Order Piperales

Ashanti Pepper

This plant is native to the tropics of West and Central Africa. Compared to Cubeb pepper it is less bitter and more herbal. It has a sharpness and flavor similar to black pepper, but much less intense, while interesting resinous flavors are more pronounced. The peppercorns are smaller than Cubeb, smooth and oval instead of round and rough. Production is not high so not much is shipped out of West Africa and it's relatively expensive even there.

Ashanti Pepper is sometimes used in the Berbere spice mix of Ethiopia, but due to its expense, Ethiopian Long Pepper is more often used. This pepper was well known in Europe during Medieval times but its use declined after the 14th century.

Uziza Leaves are used in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria as a flavoring in Pepper Soups, Eguzi Soup and Oha/Ora Soup. If they leaves are not available, the spice may be used to approximate the flavor.

Cubeb Pepper

Unlike many things called "pepper", this one is actually a member of the Piper genus along with black pepper. This plant is native to Java in Indonesia and most today is still grown there. It was known to the ancient Greeks as komakon, a corruption of it's Javanese name, kumukus. It was popular in Europe until the king of Portugal banned its sale in favor of black pepper (which he apparently had a financial interest in) in 1640 and shipments pretty much ended by 1940. It is still widely used as a spice in Indonesia. The taste is herbal and much like green peppercorns, but it has much less sharpness. It has also been widely used as a medicinal, from China to Europe.

Hoja Santa

This plant is native to Central America, extending into Mexico and northern South America. The fresh leaves are used in Mexican cuisine for flavoring tamales, soups, eggs and chocolate drinks. It is an essential ingredient in the Oxacan "mole verde" sauce. These leaves have a very distinct "root beer like" taste. The photo specimens were 9 inches long and up to 6-3/4 inches wide.   Details and Cooking.

Long Pepper - Ethiopian

This pepper, related to the round black pepper, produces loose seed spikes embedded with many tiny peppercorns, each inside a fruit capsule. The plant is native to Sub-Saharan Africa, from Sierra Leone on the Atlantic coast to the Ethiopian highlands in East Africa. It is found south as far as Angola, Tanzania and South Africa. It is used as a spice mainly in Ethiopia and Eritrea, but the whole plant is used medicinally use in other parts of Africa. The photo specimens were up to 0.25 inch diameter and 1.9 inches long (6.4 x 48 mm). Details and Cooking.

Long Pepper - Indian

This pepper, related to the round black pepper, produces seed spikes embedded with many poppy seed size peppercorns. These seeds have an effect similar to black pepper but a bit sharper and more citrusy. This pepper was very important in Europe from Roman times, but by the 14th century had been largely replaced by black pepper. This pepper is still used in India, North Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia. The seed spikes are quite hard, and need to be ground for use. The photo specimens were up to 0.27 inch diameter and 1.7 inches long (6.9 x 43 mm). Details and Cooking.

Long Pepper Root - Indian

In India and parts of China, this root is used as both a medicinal and as a culinary spice. The taste is earthy, lightly peppery, and slightly herbal. The root is very hard, so it must be ground for use.   Details and Cooking.

Long Pepper - Javanese

This plant is native to southern China and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and the Philippines. In most regions it is gathered in the wild, but some is cultivated in India. It is very much like Indian Long Pepper in both taste and usage. In India it's used in curries, preserves and pickles. It is stronger than Black Pepper, but also sweeter. Both fruits and roots are used medicinally, and an extract of the roots is effective against mosquito larvae.   Photo by Kembangraps contributed to the Public Domain.

Long Pepper - Thai

This pepper, native to South and Southeast Asia, is used throughout the region. In Bangladesh, the stems and roots are peeled, chopped and used as a flavoring for meat dishes, particularly mutton, and tastes somewhat like horseradish. In Thailand the fruits, which are orange-red when ripe and black when dried, are used both fresh and dried, pounded to paste or powder and added to various curry pastes, and added to fish to cut the fishy flavor. Various parts of the plant are used medicinally throughout the region.   Photo by Yercaud-elango distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

Matico

This tree, which grows to 20 feet high, is native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean and tropical South America. It is also grown in the Pacific Islands, sometimes becoming an irritating invasive. The name Matico is used in Peru, but in other South American countries the name can refer to entirely unrelated plants. The long fruit spikes are used as a substitute for Long Pepper and in Peru are used to flavor cocoa. The leaves have medicinal uses, particularly for treating wounds.   Photo by João Medeiros distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Unported.

Pepper / Peppercorns - Black, White, Green, Red

Black Pepper originated on the Malabar (south west) coast of India, but major plantations were later established in Indonesia for trade with the Dutch. It is now grown also in Brazil and several Southeast Asian countries. Pepper has never been popular in Indonesia despite being grown there, but has long been used in India and parts of Southeast Asia, particularly before chilis were brought from South America. In Europe it has been the most important spice since the Roman Empire and was extremely expensive until the 18th century due to trade monopolies.   Details and Cooking.

Selim Pepper

Voatsiperifery

This pepper grows wild in Madagascar, where the fruits are dried and used as a spice called voatsiperifery. It is described as having an earthy, woody flavor with aromas of citrus and flowers. While not as strong as Black Pepper, it is quite sharp and the sharpness is lingering. Once very difficult to find, it is now available on the Internet. The photo specimens were about 0.125 inch diameter (3.2 mm), purchased for 2021 US $3.80 / ounce.

Wild Betel

This pepper plant, native to Southeast Asia is very similar to Lalot, and the same names are often applied in Thai and Vietnamese. The leaves have a light, pleasant bitterness that compliments other foods. Leaves are used as wrappers for a popular Thai snack called Miang kham, which may be served on open leaves, a do-it-yourself kit with leaves and each ingredient separate, or as pre-wrapped snacks. In northern Thailand it is the main ingredient in Kaeng khae curry. In Laos and Malaysia leaves are shredded and included in salads.   Photo by Forest and Kim Starr distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, attribution required, notification appreciated.

Lalot

The practice of wrapping meat in leaves (dolma) traveled from Persia through India to Southeast Asia. They don't have grape leaves in Southeast Asia, so the Vietnamese took to using lalot leaves instead, wrapped around a beef sausage filling and called Thit bò là lôt. This leaf is also used extensively as a medicinal.

Lalot is often confused with the closely related "Wild Betel" (Piper samentosum), which has similar culinary uses. Both are slightly bitter and neither is nearly as strongly aromatic as the related Betel Leaf. The photo specimens, purchased from an Asian market in Los Angeles, were up to 4 x 5-1/4 inches and sold in 4 ounce bundles at 2012 US $14.99 / pound.

Betel Leaf

Cultivated all through India and Southeast Asia, this leaf is best known as the wrapper for a slightly narcotic chew called Paan. It is not the highly aromatic (and fairly bitter) leaf that has the narcotic effect and negative health impact (oral cancer, etc.), but the areca palm nut and tobacco around which it is wrapped. The photo specimens, purchased from an Asian market in Los Angeles, were 6-1/4 x 8 inches, 2012 US $23.99 / pound.

Pepper Wood / Chili Wood

[Mai sakahn (Laos); Piper ribisioides also Piper interruptum]

The thick woody stems of this pepper vine are commonly used in Northern Laos and by Laotians in northeastern Thailand as a spice. Large splinters (1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inch and 1/4 inch thick) are included in soups and stews as a flavoring. It has a peppery flavor with hints of chili with a lingering aftertaste, and is somewhat numbing on the tongue. The berries are sometimes pressed for an oil that is also used as a spice. The plant is used medicinally.

If you can actually get some of this, it should be kept tightly wrapped in the freezer, as it will dry out and turn black in a short time.   Subst: for a 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inch 1/4 inch thick splinter, use 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns and 5 Sichuan Peppercorns.   Photo by Kirk K (cropped) distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic".

Kava

Roots of this plant are pounded and made into a tea which has sedative and anesthetic properties. It has been traditionally used by natives of the entire Pacific Island region, including Hawaii, particularly during social gatherings. It is also available in the Western World in supplement capsules and pills. These may also include leaves and stems, somewhat controversial as islanders use only the root. Overuse of Kava, particularly when combined with alcohol consumption is known to result in severe liver damage and other health problems.   Photo by Forest and Kim Starr distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported, Attribution Required, notification appreciated.

Fish Mint

This is the only significant edible plant in order Piperales that is not in the Piper genus. Fish Mint leaves are used particularly in Vietnam, the far northeast of India, and in south central China, often raw as a garnish or salad ingredient, but sometimes cooked with other vegetables. In northeast India it is used raw, but also cooked in fish curry.

In south central China (Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, western Guangxi) the long narrow rhizomes are eaten, usually raw in salads and the like. They are said to have a fresh peppery flavor.

Fish mint gets its name from having an unusual flavor which some people consider "fishy". This herb tends to wilt badly, but can be refreshed by complete immersion in cool water. The photo specimens, from a large Asian market in Los Angeles, had leaves up to 2 inches long and nearly 2 inches wide.

Variegated varieties are cultivated as decoratives under the name "Chameleon Plant". The plant is used medicinally, particularly in China. It can become a difficult to eradicate invasive, and is considered as such in parts of the United States and Australia.

Canadian Snakeroot

This plant is native to eastern North America, from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic, and from Southern Canada to the Southeast of the United States. The long, clumping rhizomes were harvested by Native Americans as a flavoring ingredient similar to ginger. This use is discouraged by the US FDA due to its causing severe kidney damage and certain types of cancers. A distilled extract called Canadian Snakeroot Oil has been used as a flavoring ingredient.   Photo by Wasp32 distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.