Cubeb Pepper

Cubeb pepper from Altes Gewürzamt, fruity and balsamic

Cubeb pepper from Altes Gewürzamt is a tailed pepper from Java, Sumatra, and Sri Lanka, with a fruity scent and a subtle bitterness behind it. You can recognize it instantly by its dried fruit stem, and it adds a balsamic depth to braised dishes.

Cubeb pepper is a rarity from Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main, sold whole and unground in a 50-gram tin. Botanically known as *Piper cubeba*, it is a distinct relative of black pepper, rich in essential oil and low in heat.

Fruity, tart, with a hint of eucalyptus

When you open the tin, a scent rises that is both peppery and fruity, with a clear hint of allspice. Over a seared steak, a touch of eucalyptus and camphor is added. You would hardly expect this from a berry of this color.

Tart, balsamic, with fruit in the background: this is how this unconventional character seasons—it releases its strength gradually and never bites at the front. The heat remains restrained because the berry contains significantly less piperine than its black relative. In return, the berry contains much more essential oil.

A good tenth of the dried berry consists of this oil, many times more than what an ordinary peppercorn provides. That is why the kitchen fills with aroma as soon as you open the tin. On the tongue, however, a mild, almost sweet warmth arrives at the end.

For pot roasts, red cabbage, and game sauces

Hearty dishes suit this pepper best, and both meat and vegetables readily embrace its spicy, tart nature. Freshly crushed in a mortar and sprinkled over a robust braised dish, its balsamic side provides depth.

Using a mortar is not just a matter of style, as the hard stem catches in any grinder designed for round grains. Two crushed berries give braised red cabbage a surprising twist. In a red wine poaching liquid for pears, the same amount brings out the fruit.

It works just as well with a game sauce because its fruitiness picks up the dark roasted notes of the pan drippings and carries them further. Dose sparingly and add it late, because the longer it cooks, the more the tartness emerges. Two to three berries are enough to season a pot for four people. To see how it tastes in company, look at the Mélange Noir, and in the Poivres Rares seasoned salt, it meets sea salt and long pepper.

A rarity at Altes Gewürzamt

Cubeb is rarely found on the market today, which is precisely why it has kept its place at Altes Gewürzamt, where such varieties are actively sought out. The berry is harvested unripe and dried in the sun, causing its skin to wrinkle and turn a deep dark brown.

It reached Europe in the Middle Ages via Arab trade routes. It was an expensive staple in princely kitchen recipes until black pepper became ubiquitous via sea routes and displaced it. To this day, it is grown primarily on Java and Sumatra, as well as on Sri Lanka, and because there is little demand, quantities have remained small.

The whole, unground berries go into the tin, as is the standard for all peppers at Altes Gewürzamt. It has its place in the pepper selection, and anyone wishing to browse further will find the Altes Gewürzamt assortment right next to it.