WHITE PEPPER
WHITE pepper is thought by many to be produced by a separate plant, but
it is the fruit of the black pepper vine, the change in appearance being
brought about by artificial preparation. The poor natives are said to
collect for market some white berries, which have been left on the vines
until fully ripe and then have fallen to the ground and, by their
exposure to the sun, have lost the outer black coating. That which
remains is called the “genuine” white pepper. This collection of the
white pepper corns by the natives has given rise to the story that a
small bird called ballaree, feeding on the black pepper, digests nothing
but the outer husks and, the balance, having passed whole through the
organs of the bird, becomes white.
The pepper vines are injured by allowing the berry to ripen before
gathering to make white pepper. For this reason the unripe fruit is
often used, and some manufacturers make it a business to prepare or make
the white pepper. The unripe black pepper is robbed of its outer coat,
to make white pepper, in several ways, according to the extent to which
the decorticating process is carried. Thus, we may have decorticated
pepper from which all three coats are removed, or only one or two of
them. All of these kinds are called factitious white pepper. Thus we
have Tellicherry, which is particularly fine, and, second, the
“coriander white,” so called from its close resemblance to the seed of
that name. This is also a fine grade. It is made in imitation of the
coriander seed by cutting off from the end of each corn a piece of the
outer hull, so that the dark-colored inner portion shows. The ordinary
white follows next, which is made from the Singapore, Penang, etc. This
is often bleached to imitate the first two, but it makes a sad
imitation.
The Tellicherry and coriander are packed in cases of about 200 pounds,
each with marked tare on every case. The ordinary white is packed in
bags of about 150 pounds, with 2 per cent. tare, with an allowance of
one pound to each package.
The process is as follows: The black pepper may be kept in the house for
several days and then bruised or washed in a basket to remove the stalk
and pulpy matter, after which it is dried in the sunshine before
shipping. It is also prepared by steeping in water in which it has been
allowed fully to ripen and then removing the outer coat by friction. The
natives also remove the outer layer by placing the ripest red grains in
running water or in pits made near the river bank or in stagnant pools.
Sometimes it is only buried in the ground, and when it has been under
this treatment for about one week it will swell and burst the outer
husk, which is then easily removed by rubbing with the hands while it is
drying in the sunshine. After being winnowed it is ready for export.
Another way of preparing white pepper, often used, is to place the black
pepper in a solution of chloride of lime water to remove the dark
coating, after which it is rubbed and dried as in the other preparation.
Although the white pepper has the name of being a superior article, it
is not. It is very true that only the marrow of the black pepper berries
can be used to make white pepper, and the product does have an exquisite
flavor; but since the greater strength lies in the outer cover, there is
some doubt as to the quality of the white pepper. Moreover, the real
goodness of the pepper is, in fact, not improved by this process, as the
water injures its strength, the outer husk contains more of the aroma,
and the quality of the pepper removed is almost proportionate to the
weight of the pepper corn. The only gain obtained is in the appearance,
and this process is but another way of meeting the public demand for
something to please the eye, instead of the palate.
White pepper brings a higher price to the grower, but when the waste and
extra labor are considered it is seen that the grower’s profits are
largely reduced.
White pepper corns allowed to ripen fully are larger than black and can
be reduced to a powder more readily, and will present a more uniform
appearance.
China and the Straits Settlement export much of the cheaper white pepper
found in our market and much of it comes from the island of Rhio, and it
is imported in the whole.
Chemical composition of white pepper:
Water, 8.0 to 11.0
Ash, 1.0 to 2.0
Volatile Oil, .50 to 1.75
Piperine and Resin, 7.0 to 8.0
Starch, 40.0 to 44.0
Crude Fiber, 4.11 to 8.0
Albuminoids, 8.0 to 10.0
By mixing one part ground white pepper with two parts of slacked lime
and a sufficient quantity of water, and evaporating the solution to
dryness in a water bath, the powder being exhausted with commercial
ether, piperine can be obtained nearly pure in large crystals of a faint
straw color.
To obtain it perfectly pure, it must be dissolved in alcohol and
recrystallized.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: LONG PEPPER (Piper Longum)]