Indian Long Pepper (Peepli): A Rejuvenating Spice that hardly heard of.

What is Indian Long Pepper?

Indian long pepper or pipli in hindi is a dried unripe fruit of a piper lognum (flowering vine)of a climbing perennial plant that can be found in the hottest regions of India as well as in central Himalayas. The fruits of the plant look like small, thin cones, which give a characteristic aroma and they have a specific intense taste. The name ‘pepper’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘pippali’, which means berry. Piper is the Latin word for pepper. It is also called Javanese, Indian, or Indonesian long pepper.

The fruits contain the alkaloid piperine, which contributes to their pungency. 

About Peepli plant and its cultivation in India: –

Peepli is a term applied to the fruit of piper longum. This plant is indigenous to North eastern and southern region of India and mostly cultivated in Eastern Bengal region. It is an important spice of Meghalaya and Northeast India, Long Pepper is grown in the southern slopes of Meghalaya state specially in the region of Ri-War, Mawsynram, Shella, Sohra (known as Cherrapunji) etc. it is also cultivated in state like Assam, West Bengal & Nepal region too. Limestone soil is best suited for the growth of Indian long pepper. The sapling are usually planted at the beginning of every rainy season and it taken around 3-4 years to start bearing fruits. Farmers in the East Khasi Hills  districts grow this spice in the forest, as a climber on tree trunks.

the wild variety of peepli can be found in the lower hills of central and eastern Himalayas, as well as in the Western Ghats of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Even the Andaman and Nicobar islands have seen Pippali growth. Moist, shady places with mixed forests are best for this plant.

It is also grown extensively in other countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Asian regions.

Pic source-Derma mantra

How it looks like:-

The fruit of Indian long pepper (Peepli/pipli) has a tendency of growing ‘upwards’ instead of hanging down like round pepper. There are several small grains cluster can be seen in the fruit body which is called a catkin forming a spike that measures 3-4 cm in length. This plant is inexpensive, readily available, and effective for many diseases, including cancer, inflammation, depression, diabetes etc.

The Long Pepper spikes look like a ‘rougher skinned’ version of chilli peppers. The spikes of Long Pepper are harvested in January, while they are still green, pungent and tender. The spikes are then dried well in the sun, till they turn grey in color. The flowers of this plant are unisex in nature. The fruits are long and green when it is unripe but changes its color to red when ripened.

The flavour profile of Indian long pepper:-

It possesses the characteristics of both hot taste as well as the pungent flavor along with attractive spicy smell. It is used for spice and seasoning. It tastes much hotter and pungent and offer spicy fragrant smell than black pepper (Piper Nigrum) of the same Piperaceae family. Its hot and pungent taste is mainly due to the presence of Piperine (also exists in the black pepper), an alkaloid that usually activates heat sensing.

Can we use whole fresh long pepper spikes in cooking:-

Yes, whole fresh long pepper when mature or almost ripe in nature can be used to prepare Dips, dressing, chutney, Tapenades etc.

It is pureed or mashed with garlic & flavour with lemon juice, sea salt, olive oil etc to make a tapenades or dips.

Pic source-

Common name of Indian long pepper in India:-

• Pipli , Pippali , Peepal in Hindi, Gujarati & Bengali
• The Sanskrit names are Pippali, Vaidahi or Magadhi
• Piplu, Pipal in asseamese
• Hippali, Hippalibali in Kannada
• Tippali in Malayalam
• Pimpli in Marathi
• Pippoli in Oriya
• Tippili or Sirimulam in Tamil
• Tippili or Pippuloo in Telugu
• Pipul in Urdu

Common name in other countries:-

• Gaj pipla or sano pipla in Nepal
• Pimenta-longa in Portuguese
• Dar biberi in Turkish
• Pepe lungo in Italian
• Poivre long in French

Grounded form of long Indian pepper or peepli:-

Long pepper can be ground into a fine powder or a coarser form so that it can be easily used in the pepper shaker. A food processor or coffee grinder can be used to grind whole into ground pepper. Break up the spikes into several pieces before grinding it in the food processor.

The grounded form of peepli are mainly used in Indian garam masala powder, Curry powder etc. it can also be used in the preparation of burger, steaks, burritos, sprinkle on salad etc.

Type of Indian Long pepper:-

There are actually two commercially grown species of long pepper: piper longum, from India, and the cheaper and wider-spread piper retrofactum, from Indonesia (the island of Java, specifically). Their flavors are similar enough as to be interchangeable.

Culinary Use of long pepper :-

• While pippali is a true pepper, it is considerably less hot than many ground back pepper varieties. Its flavour is similar to the black pepper but with more complexity. The exact flavour of long pepper is slightly sweeter & less hot as compare to black peppercorn, citrusy bite in taste similar to Szechuan pepper.
• At the same time, it is deeply aromatic and energizing. Since the ancient times it has been used in the cooking for its sweet hot and spicy flavour. It flavour matches well with cooking of poultry, fish, and vegetable stews or dals dishes.
• Its popularity in the culinary world has slightly decrease due its higher cost and difficult to grow. Further it is replacing with the use of black pepper & chilly pepper which is cheaper & easily available in the market and also it is easier to grow. On the other hand those who understand the value of peepli continue using it many food preparation including dessert items as it has a sweet aftertaste and aid in digestion.
• Indian Long pepper was a very popular spice in ancient Greece and Rome, and later spread to greater Europe, where it was used in cooking and to make the mulled medicinal wine hippocras until the 1500s. Due to the challenge of growing the plant outside its native home i.e India, and the subsequent higher price, long pepper gradually became less popular than black pepper. After Columbus brought back allspice and chili peppers from the Americas, the use of long peppers further faded almost entirely in Europe.
• Although Indian long pepper or peepli is still very common spices in South India, peepli is commonly used in the preparation of, spicy soup Rassam, lentil curries, typical mutton stew called Nihari, Kababs, Biryanis and various traditional meat preparation and various vegetable pickles etc in central and western India. It also goes well with exotic vegetables like artichoke, asparagus and mushroom dishes. They are best cooked simply, with freshly ground peepli added at the end of the cooking to preserve the freshness of the flavour.
• It has gained importance in traditional system of medicine, such as Ayurveda, as an alternative to tonic.
• Whole, dried long pepper spikes are used to flavor the marinades, meat stews and various roasted food items.it is generally used in the same way as we use bayleaf in the cooking, so Indian long pepper are used in the beginning of the cooking in Hot oil to impart the dishes its unique flavour. The whole dried peepli are usually added at the begining of the cooking in hot cooking oil, ghee or butter before adding to the cooked food for ascertaining efficient extraction of the hot and pungent components for making it more spicy and savory.
• It is also very common spices in North African dishes, Indonesian and Malaysian dishes etc.

Use of Long pepper in Traditional Indian medicine: –

Black pepper is one of the most important and commonly used drugs in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. In Ayurvedic medicine, long pepper is treasured for its rejuvenating, pungent and warming qualities, which makes it great for the winter or rainy season. It’s also used for pacifying vata and kapha doshas.

Energetics

• Rasa (taste): Pungent
• Guna (qualities): Strong
• Virya (action): Heating
• Vipaka (post-digestive effects): Sweet
• Dosha (constitution): Pacifies Kapha and Vata

The spice finds its application for number of common health benefits. The dried and triturated unripe fruits and roots are used in treating the chronic bronchitis, cough and cold. The mix is also frequently used in the villages of India to treat snake bite and scorpion sting. In the Himalayan region the decoction of roots are applied to treat the swelling of cattle joints as a veterinary medicine.

Nutrients:- Long pepper fruit is a rich source of many different nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin A, and various antioxidants. These nutrients work together to provide a number of benefits for the human body.

Precaution on the use of Peepli or Indian long pepper:-

It is generally assume to be safe if it is taken in moderate doses as a spices or medicine. However, the peepli fruit are reported to exert contraceptive activity in experimental models, therefore, its use during pregnancy and lactation for women should be avoided.

It should be noted that the benefits of long pepper are usually quickly noticed when the appropriate dose is used for small amounts of time. Longer periods of use may aggravate Pitta and create imbalance. An Ayurvedic expert can help determine the amount you need based on your condition and constitution. It’s clear why this medicinal wonder has been revered in Ayurvedic medicine and why it was included in the original Chyawanprash recipe, which first appeared more than 5,000 years ago History of Peepli.

Popular brands of Peepli spices in India:-

In Indian market there are several good quality of whole long pepper or peepli are available from good company. The price range of whole long pepper in Indian market are in between Rs 1000 per kg to Rs 2500/- per kg depending upon the quality & brands.

• Urban platter whole long pepper
• Paraman,the supper natural long pepper
• Yuvika long pepper
• Lason long pepper
• Nature herbs long pepper
• SFT whole long pepper
• TRH whole long pepper
• Pro chef whole long pepper
• Green life forest long pepper
• Seeds & hands Wayanad
• Jai Jitender spice masala

Ref:-

From Naturalhersbsite

Indian spice zone.com

Oliver & co: long peper