Brixton People: Peppermongers

By Keith Lewis

I met with Brixton local, Pete Gibbons, co-founder of Peppermongers.

In parts of the world you could once pay your taxes in pepper. Sadly for Pete Gibbons, local co-founder of Peppermongers, those days are long gone. It is surprising, however, that such an essential ingredient that accounts for around 20% of today’s spice trade, has not yet gained celebrity ingredient status.

Certainly Peppermongers think so. Until now we have managed to reinvigorate so many once essential ingredients and given them a life of their own. Oils and vinegars for example, all live the life of riley – they boast supermarket shelves to themselves and are now seen as a delicacy as much as they are an unavoidable cooking necessity. We have been using pepper for centuries, however, but in the UK we still have a little to learn it seems.

And so, originally inspired by a trip to Kerala, Peppermongers’ founders decided to make it their mission to shake up our preconceptions of pepper by appealing to gastronomic enthusiasts. They are seeking to shake up our preconceptions of pepper a tad. And there was me thinking pepper was a light brown dust that you threw over bland foods… Pete didn’t tell me this, but I think their secret ambition is to force the classic glass peppershaker into an early retirement.

Anyhow, what makes Pete’s pepper so special? Well, the four superior varieties on offer are not to be treated with indifference. Each must be considered based upon its own unique merits. Unlike our relatively insipid, inferior friend, these high quality peppers are not to be absently tossed into, and on top of household dishes.

These peppers require thought, and are in fact a chef’s dream. They must be nurtured, experimented with and dined, until you really understand them. Only then will your culinary relationship with pepper blossom. Each one works rather curiously with different types of dish. In short, they are prime protagonists for the invention of new dishes, as we see in the recipe example above. Firstly, think pepper, and only after think ingredients. That is the message I am getting.

But despite these peppers being an excuse for culinary innovation, Pete also suggests pepping up a few of our classic comfort foods. Hard to believe, but we are (ostensibly) only weeks away from strawberries and cream. With that in mind, try Peppermongers’ Indonesian Long Pepper (the most popular of the four varieties – Nigel Slater goes mad for it) crushed up with the seeds from cardamom pods, and thrown into the cream. This is Wimbledon meets Cochin.

Pete also recommends their Sichuan Pepper in a bacon butty. Simply heat a small amount of groundnut oil in a saucepan, along with the crushed Sichuan pepper and cook the bacon in it. Then eat it and declare your undying love for the decadence of the weekend. (We recommend it with squid…)

The other two types of pepper that Peppermongers import are Tellicherry Pepper, the wise Keralan grandfather of black peppers that sniggers omnisciently at all others. It contains an interesting fruity aroma (shows itself off well in a Bloody Mary). In addition, the woody Javanese Cubeb Pepper, good in slower cooked dishes because if its subtle release of spice, is used commonly in North African cuisine.

The good news is that such gastronomic delicacies are not reserved for Harvey Nichols and Fortnum and Masons – all four varieties of Pete’s pepper can be brought from Cannon and Cannon in Brixton, Sesami in Herne Hill and Bambuni in Nunhead. They also sell gift packs that make great presents for aspiring or established chefs. For other recipes and ideas visit: www.peppermongers.co.uk

Outtake:

Interviewer: So, One final thing Pete – a little test to see if you really know what you are talking about. How much is a peck of pickled peppers, as picked by Peter Piper way back in the day?

Pete: Erm… around 537 cubic inches? Quite a lot, anyhow.

 Interviewer (smugly): Ah, got ya – only if you are in the US. In the UK it is 554 cubic inches.