Indian pepper has two main types, Tellicherry and Malabar, named after the centres from which they are traded. The name ‘Tellicherry’ is an Anglicisation of ‘Thallassery’, a commercial city north of Cochin.
Tellicherry peppercorns are larger than regular black peppercorns. Piper nigrum, the peppercorn plant, is grown in tropical climates around the world.
All peppercorns belong the Piper nigrum family, meaning that they are all the exact same thing. True black peppercorns are entirely different from spices that share the ‘peppercorn’ name, such as pink or Szechuan peppercorns. Tellicherry and Whole Black Pepper come from the same vine.
At the end of the growing season the pepper fruit is picked from the vine. The pepper is dried over a series of days and eventually shrivels and turns into what known as black peppercorns. Then the peppercorns are sorted by size. The smaller peppercorns are considered whole black pepper while the larger peppercorns become the Tellicherry.
Tellicherry peppercorns are considered as the most prized variety of black pepper due to its complex flavor profile, which includes woodsy and citrus notes. Tellicherry can be used in any dish that calls for black pepper.
Tellicherry peppercorns
