Comparing Juniper Berries and Black Pepper

Juniper berries (Juniperus californica) and black pepper (Piper nigrum) are used to a spice to food. They come from very different types of plants but they are similar in that they are exceptionally potent as spices.

Black pepper is arguably the world’s most well known spice. No kitchen spice cabinet would be complete without pepper. Piper nigrum is native to southern India. It was one of the most important spices that was traded between Asia and Europe.

The dry fruit of black pepper is black and almost wrinkled-looking. The dried fruit is referred to as a peppercorn. Peppercorn has an almost indefinite shelf life. White peppercorn is only the seed of the fruit after the flesh is removed. White pepper is used to make sauces, soups, and beverages. Peppercorn has a spicy and bitter taste. Typically, most recipes only require a pinch or so of the ground up peppercorn because it is so strong. Pepper is also frequently used in meat seasonings.

Piper nigrum is highly adapted to living in montane tropical forest. It is a flowering vine from the family Vitaceae that uses the branches of other plants for support. Black pepper grows in the forest understory meaning it is shade tolerant. It also has glaborous leaves which allow water to runoff easily in rainforest downpours.

Junipers are adapted to a very different kind of climate. They belong to the family Cupressaceae. Junipers are found in temperate climates across North America, Europe, and Asia. Trees belonging to Cupressaceae look very similar to pine trees, however, with closer inspection they have scales as modified leaves instead of pine needles.

It is the Juniper berries that are used for flavoring. However, they are not actually true berries. They are actually reproductive cones that are so tightly shut that they have the appearance of a dried bilberry (see other post). These cones are crushed and ground up to extract the flavor which has been compared to rosemary.

Juniper berries have been used for their flavor for centuries. They have even been found in King Tuts’ tomb. Junipers are also used to flavor Gin. My least favorite type of alcohol actually got its name because the French word for Juniper is Jenever or Gin for short. The romans used Juniper as a substitute for black pepper because it was less expensive. Most culinary dishes only require three or four berries because they are so strong. Juniper berries have been shown to aid in restfulness and digestion.

Not all Junipers are edible. Some such as J. sabina are highly toxic. In North America one of the species commonly used is J. californica. It is said to provide a sweeter, less resinous taste than its European counterpart J. communis. J. californica is a highly drought resistant species that has strengthened xylem to prevent the xylem from undergoing a process called cavitation while under dehydration stress. This is when the xylem structures rupture allowing air bubbles to get into the vasculatory system of the plant and thereby harming it. Due to this adaptation black pepper is actually beginning to outcompete Pinyon Pine (see other post) in the Southwest of the United States.

I am not particularly fond of either black pepper or juniper berries to be honest. I absolutely hate gin and I’ve only had one meal where I thought that black pepper was an asset. That was meal was five cent ramen with eggs. Nevertheless they are useful spices belonging to interesting plants.

Image Sources

https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/herbsspices/juniper-berries.html

http://wholespice.com/blog/a-very-juniper-berry/

https://draxe.com/juniper-berries/

https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/09/spice-hunting-juniper-berries-how-to-use.html

https://foodfacts.mercola.com/black-pepper.html

http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:682369-1

https://www.mdidea.com/products/new/new06802.html

Image Sources

https://www.espaceagro.com/epices-aromates/black-pepper_-white-pepper_i208052.html

http://www.vinopremier.com/uk-en/ginebra-seagrams-extra-dry-gin.html

http://www.plantsystematics.org/imgs/lkelly/r/Cupressaceae_Juniperus_californica_14995.html