Long pepper, Spice
Long Pepper (Piper longum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, native to South Asian. It is cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. It is also known as Indian long pepper, Dried Catkins, Pippali, Pipal, Tippli, Pihal, Javanese Long Pepper or Indonesian long pepper. Long pepper is usually used in the Mediterranean, Indian, African and Indonesian cuisines. Long pepper has a similar peppery taste to that of black pepper, but hotter. Long pepper is a relative of the black pepper, Piper nigrum. Long pepper is found in many forms, including long chili pepper, long red pepper and long green pepper. Long pepper is a slender, aromatic, flowering vine with a large woody root and jointed stems thickening at the nodes. The tiny berries, each about the size of a poppy seed, are merged to a single, rod-like structure that resembles a catkin. These catkins are harvested whole, then dried for use in cooking. Long pepper can be consumed raw or cooked, pickled or dried, and is also used as a preservative in foods. It has a pungent peeper-like taste thta increases the production of saliva and causes numbness in the mouth. Long pepper contains active ingredient piperine, in a higher concentration than black pepper. It has been used extensively to treat respiratory ailments such as bronchitis, asthma, and cough. It is also used in balms that are used to sooth muscular problems. Long pepper has antibacterial, tonic, stimulant, analgesic and carminative properties. It also acts as a nerve depressant. Long pepper is a key ingredient in producing pepper spray products for use in self defense mechanism.  Long pepper Author: Lemmikkipuu (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported) | ||
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