Black Tellicherry Pepper

Black Tellicherry pepper, an Indian premium pepper with fruit notes

Tellicherry is not a place of origin but a quality grade. The name denotes the largest, ripest corns of the harvest from the Malabar coastal strip in Kerala, India, peppercorns allowed to ripen on the vine longer than usual before being harvested. This extended ripening makes the difference: Tellicherry pepper develops a more complex, fruity aroma with more depth and less pure sharp heat than standard black pepper. We pack it gently in our workshop in Klingenberg am Main.

How to use

Tellicherry pepper unfolds its full potential freshly ground on the finished dish. It is the first choice whenever pepper should act as a flavour component in its own right:

• Steak and beef fillet, as a crust in steak au poivre or as a table pepper
• Game, venison fillet, saddle of wild boar, deer
• Pepper sauce, freshly ground as the base of a reduced cognac pepper sauce
• Aged cheese, Parmesan, Comté, Manchego, Pecorino
• Carpaccio, as an elegant finishing spice
• Pasta and risotto, cacio e pepe, black risotto

Important: Buy whole corns and grind or mortar them fresh only just before serving. Store dry, dark and well sealed, so the aroma is preserved for years.

Recipe idea: steak au poivre

Coarsely crush 2 tbsp Tellicherry pepper (mortar or the back of a knife). Pat ribeye steaks (250 g each) dry, press in the pepper crust. Sear in a very hot cast-iron pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Let the steaks rest. In the same pan fat, sweat 1 shallot, deglaze with 4 cl cognac, pour in 150 ml beef stock and 100 ml cream. Reduce and season to taste.

At a glance

• Premium quality grade from Malabar in Kerala, India
• A complex, fruity aroma with a harmonious heat
• The largest, longest-ripened corns of the harvest
• Whole corns, ideal for the mill and mortar
• Workshop quality from Klingenberg am Main

Goes well with

Fresh-ethereal is the black Kerala pepper, savoury-full-bodied the black Belem pepper. For steaks we recommend the Steakpfeffer Gewürzamt and the Mélange Noir. A fine selection is offered by the pepper bundle. More in our pepper collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Tellicherry mean?
Tellicherry is not an origin but a quality grade. It denotes the largest and longest-ripened peppercorns of the harvest from Malabar in Kerala.

What does Tellicherry pepper taste like?
Complex and fruity with plenty of depth and a harmonious heat. Thanks to the longer ripening on the vine, it is more aromatic and less sharp than standard black pepper.

What is it best suited to?
For steak, beef fillet, game and pepper sauces, as a finish on carpaccio and aged cheese, and in cacio e pepe and risotto.

Should I buy pepper whole or ground?
Always whole and grind it fresh in the mill or crush it in the mortar. Already-ground pepper loses its essential oils within a few minutes. Whole corns keep their aroma for years.