Mountain Pepperberry

Botanical name: Tasmania Lanceolata

Mountain Pepperberry is a tree-like shrub from the temperate rainforests of Tasmania, Victoria and south east NSW. It is also called Mountain Pepper or Tasmanian Pepper.

Edible native plants, used by the first inhabitants for thousands of years, have enjoyed a recent resurgence as exotic - yet somehow familiar - alternatives to more conventional spices.

Pepperberry’s small, purple-black berries bare much in common with black peppercorn yet is blessed with an undeniable “bush tucker” twist!

Mountain Pepperberry can be used in place of black pepper for most recipes, but beware - these wrinkly little flavour bullets are for lovers of INTENSE flavour. These wild distant cousins of humble black pepper are several notches up in the spice department.

Like berries, they also possess a pleasant, fruity note upfront, followed by a bitey heat that lingers for several minutes.

When using as a pepper replacement, add around half or less of what you would normally use. As a seasoning, it goes great with steaks, skewers, salt and pepper squid, roasted meat and veggies and in olive oil as a salad dressing.

As Mountain Pepperberry is both piquant and fruity, it works with both sweet and savoury dishes. Make Mountain Pepper marinades, sauces, yoghurt, jellies, soups or vinaigrettes or add a tongue-tingling twist to white chocolate mousse, ice cream or bread.

As well as spicing up your dishes and surprising your tastebuds, like many “purple foods” (see: blueberries, açai), Pepperberry is considered a rare superfood, containing an extremely high concentration of antioxidants. These free-radical fighting substances are linked to the prevention and delay of various cancers, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and autoimmune problems.

Australian Ingredient: Mountain Pepperberry.