Black Belem Pepper

Black Belem Pepper from Altes Gewürzamt, dense in fragrance

For their black Belem pepper, Altes Gewürzamt relies on Brazilian product with uniform grains and a dense fragrance. Its heat remains pleasantly moderate, which is why it is the pepper to keep in the mill every day, for both steak and stir-fries.

Black Belem Pepper comes from the area around the Brazilian port city of Belém and is the all-purpose pepper in the Altes Gewürzamt range. Its full, rounded aroma and reliable seasoning make it a kitchen staple that is suitable for anything and never out of place.

Dense aroma and heat that fits right in

With crispy-skinned fish, Belem shows what it can do: strong enough to hold its own, and mild enough not to overpower anything. Its fragrance is full and rounded, immediately evoking thoughts of fine cooking.

The pepper only turns black during the drying process. The clusters are harvested as soon as the first berries change color, then the produce is briefly passed through hot water and subsequently dried in the sun for three to four days, where the skin turns brown and wrinkles around the seed.

This reduces the weight, as around three kilos of fresh berries yield only one kilo of black pepper in the end. Because the Brazilian product is evenly sorted, every grinder loves it, whereas uneven grains tend to get stuck in the mechanism.

Fresh from the mill on steak

It is the ideal pepper-mill companion and feels at home everywhere: on steaks, in stir-fry dishes, and with Mediterranean fish seared on the skin.

Grind it fresh over a juicy steak, as this is where its dense aroma shows its full strength. Salt should go on before the pan and pepper after, as it can turn bitter under high heat.

Grinding fresh is not just a whim. Essential oils evaporate from pre-ground powder within a few weeks, while the piperine remains, eventually leaving you with a spice that only stings. Whole grains stay fresh for many years if kept dark and dry.

The 80 grams will last a long time in a normal household without losing any quality along the way. However, if the mill sits on a shelf above the stove, steam and heat will cause more damage than any amount of storage time. Finer and more festive is the black Tellicherry pepper; lighter and more floral is the black Kerala pepper from our pepper collection.

From the Amazon to the Main

Belém is located at the mouth of the Amazon in the state of Pará, and pepper cultivation there is relatively young. It only began in the twentieth century when immigrants brought the first cuttings to Pará, growing so vigorously that Brazil is now one of the major producing countries.

The goods were shipped to Europe via the port, which gave the pepper its trade name. Even an everyday spice deserves care, which is why Altes Gewürzamt selects a source with a clean, dense aroma even for the daily mill.

In Klingenberg am Main, the grains are put into the tin unground, because that is the only way a grain preserves its fragrance. Black Belem is part of the Altes Gewürzamt range and is the pepper you simply always want to have on hand in the kitchen.