Schinus

Pete, I's not sure which one it is. The article only mentions the terebinthifolius but I must admit that the photo in the magazine looks more like the molle, the leaves are narrower.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schinus

I shall make this Sunday's outing to Ferragudo, a small fishing village where these trees line the parking area and where I got the berries from. Then I can photograph the tree and leaves closeup, assuming it is everygreen!

Will get the berries off to you on Monday.

 

Sounds like a lovely tree - particularly the bit where it says it is a food source for the Emperor Moth.

 

OK LOL thanks, the only reason I asked was because my book said terebint is a bit more tropical than molle, although I dont think either will take frost.

 

I'm sure you're right ... the article does say the terebint is from the French Republic of Reunion.

Apparently the Portuguese introduced pepper to Europe ... gosh, they sure were busy people for such small people!

Sunday will tell ...

 

This is not pepper, LOL. AS in black and white. :D

 

This is what this article was all about, pete, maybe t'other half can scan it for me to send to you.

It says something about the white and black peppercorns come from vines, which I did not know, but the pink/red ones come from these trees.

Honestly, I'm only passing info along. I'm not clever enough to make it up!

 

I dont think I've ever had pink and red pepper LOL, other than cayenne, which I think comes from chillies.

 

I've got a jar of them here ... not the ones I've picked from these trees we're discussing. Schwartz, Barts or someone like that sells them.

There are ... black, white, pink, red and green peppercorns. I have them all and like to mix them with coriander seeds in a grinder ... fantastic mix for all sorts of food.

 

I think you should keep buying them, dont think the ones on the trees will do you any good.

 

I haven't used the ones from the trees ... I'm going to send them to you ...

 

Pete, here is the picture and text from the magazine ...



PEPPERCORNS

At the very heart of the spice trade since ancient times, pepper was once a rare and precious commodity.

In the Middle Ages it became so valued that it was used instead of money or as part of the tribute paid by conquered cities to their conquerors. 'Peppercorn rents', now merely nominal sums, originally had a real value when peppercorns were used to pay taxes or rent - even to make up a dowry.

The Portuguese introduced pepper into Europe in the 16* century and retained control of the pepper trade until the 1700s, when the great French navigator, Pierre Poivre (no connection!), established plantations in the French colonies. By the 19th century it was one of the two most widely used condiments in Western households - the other, of course, was salt.

Peppercorns are the fruit of a vine-like plant, Piper nigrum, which grows wild in parts of India. It is also cultivated there, especially on the Malabar Coast, and elsewhere in wet, tropical climates, producing long spikes of small berries, which turn from green to red on ripening.

The black peppercorn is the berry picked just as it is beginning to ripen. It is then dried slowly, becoming wrinkled and dark. White peppercorns come from the red. ripe berries, outer skins removed then dried in the sun. Stored whole, both black and white peppercorns keep their flavour indefinitely and are best freshly ground in a peppermill. Black is hot, spicy and aromatic: white has more of a 'peppery' quality. Virtually indispensable in all savoury cooking, pepper brings out the flavour of food and stimulates the appetite. It works surprisingly well with some sweet dishes, especially fruits such as strawberries, pears and peaches and provides the perfect link between sweet and savoury when coarsely ground over mango, melon or pineapple served with chourico or presunto, for example.

Green peppercorns are the fresh green berries picked before ripening and packed in jars or tins. They are deliciously hot and juicy with a clean, fresh flavour.

Pink peppercorns are produced from a different plant, the non-vinous Schinus terebinthifolius, which comes from the French Island of Reunion.

Both green and pink peppercorns are used most frequently in pates, sausages and pickles and are really superb in cream sauces for chicken and fish - or mashed into butter to melt over steaks and fish

 

Thanks LOL, I didn't realise that these trees actually produced an EDIBLE berry.
I was under the impession that it was only called pepper tree because parts of the tree had a peppery smell.Somehow though I dont think I will be picking any.
Remind me to throw that book I've got, away. :D

 

Don't you know Pete doesn't read links, LoL? :D

Places like Pizzerias usually have mixed peppercorns in shaker dispensers as well as the usual condiments - not all that unusual!

 

I didn't give pete a link, dendro ... can't you see all those WORDS and a picture above! :confused:

Couldn't do a link on this if I wanted to because it's out of a magazine here! :rolleyes:

 

Doesn't say what PLANT :D they come from though, does it dendy