Épices de Cru Cubeb Pepper

In a nutshell: This is a must-have for your pepper pot collection, extremely rare and addictive and scented with the woody aromas of camphor and incense; its also often used as a gin flavouring. 

Great Taste 2018 2-star award winner

Cubeb (piper cubeba), also known as ‘tailed pepper’, Javanese pepper or kemukus has a fascinating history. Known to the ancient Greeks and used by the Arabs in the 9th century for medicinal cures, it became popular in Europe during the Middle Ages where it was used to season and marinate many meat dishes. With its woody scent of camphor and incense, it’s also used in many perfumes and cosmetic products and as a flavouring for gin.

The best still comes from Indonesia. Cubeb gives added depth to red wine sauces, wild game and dark chocolate desserts. An indispensable ingredient in Moroccan kitchen where its used in tajines, semolina and date pastries and is one of the ingredients of the classic spice blend Ras el Hanout. Try it in Indonesian Gulai curries, roasted vegetables or grind with ginger and soy and rub over duck breast before pan-frying or grilling.

Details 20g

About Épices de Cru
Épices de Cru began in 1982 as a catering partnership between Philippe and Ethné de Vienne. Their mission was a kind of “cooking pot anthropology:” learning the secrets of family cooking around the world and applying these techniques to the needs of hungry Montrealers. The secret, they learned, was spices. Over the last two decades, Philippe and Ethné have searched for the world’s best spices, accompanied by their children, Marika and Arik. The de Viennes believe in direct sourcing spices: visiting growing regions, spending time with growers, and developing personal relationships that last decades. In 2004, they officially opened their first spice shop in Montreal’s fantastic Jean Talon market– it’s since become a mecca for foodies from all over the world. I first visited in 2008 and have been buying and using their spices on a regular basis ever since that first exciting visit. They steadfastly maintain that they do nothing original, only facilitating the exchange of culinary common sense from one place to another. But, what they do is simply quite brilliant - by providing us with the finest quality ingredients, and their superb spice mixes, we can all experiment with unusual spices and recreate delicious recipes from around the world.