Welcome to the Celtnet Spice Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available and more exotic spices becoming available from all over the world it has become evident that some kind of guide or introduction to spices is necessary. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary spices together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Spice Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the spices given here, whether common or rare, can be obtained via your local supermarket (or more often via your local Asian supermarket) or via a specialist spice distributor.

This is the description page for Tasmanian Pepper Berries (Tasmannia lanceolata) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the herb: Tasmanian Pepper Berries.

Tasmanian Pepper Berries (also known as Mountain Pepper, Mountain Pepperberry and Native Pepper) are the dried fruit of the shrub, Tasmannia lanceolata which is part of the Winteraceae, a small family of shrubs from South East Asia and the Pacific Rim. The plant itself is mainly found on the Tasmanian Island, Australia; though it on the mainland in Victoria and New South Wales. Mountain pepper shrubs are distinguished by the attractive deep red of their young stems and branches. In ideal conditions, mountain pepper will grow to 5m tall. The broad-based, tapering leaves on mountain pepper are longer on plants growing in lowland areas, (up to 13cm), and much shorter on alpine dwelling ones that may have leaves only 1.5cm in length.

The flowers are small, yellow to cream coloured and when fertilized (typically in March and May) these develop into berries that are dark blue to black in colour. These are hand-picked and dried to produce pepperberries, wich are black in colour and are a succulent hot berry with a crunchy seed cluster at their heart. When eaten alone, the berries have a sweet taste at the beginning, followed by short-lasting intense heat. The berries then deliver a strange sensation of numbness, similar to Szechwan peppercorns. The leaves, fruit and even the fresh flower buds all have a distinct mountain pepper aroma and taste, albeit at varying intensities.

In terms of sensory quality, Tasmanian pepperberries star off tasting slightly sweet, which quickly gives way to an intense, but short-lived pungency that then yields a sensation of numbness (in a similar manner to Sichuan pepper and water pepper). The leaves (either fresh or dried) also share this quality of pungency and numbness). The pungency of the berries is due to the presence of polygodial.

In Australia they are used as part of the growing trend for bush food where pepperberries are used to season emu burgers or kangaroo steaks. The berries are also crushed and mixed in vegetable oil before being used to marinate meat. In addition, the berries are used in flavored breads, pastas and patés, mustards and cheeses. In stews or sauces the pepperberries impart a vibrant red colour which can be very attractive.

Though largely known only in Australia Tasmanian Pepperberry is becoming available through a small number of on-line spice suppliers. Please note that if you are intrested in using this spice for your own cooking, then employ a light hand as they are ten times as hot as ordinary black pepper!

Salmon with Acacia Seed and Tasmanian Pepper Berry Rub
Australo-Asian Roast Pork
Australo-Asian Roast Chicken
Balmain Bugs and Whiting
Tasmanian Pepper Beef Stew
Fillet of Beef with Tasmanian Pepper Berry
Barbie Sauce
Pepperberry Potato Cake
Peppered Emu Burgers