CUBEB: THE SPICIEST OF ALL PEPPERS

COMMON NAME: Cubeb

LATIN NAME: Piper Cubeba

CHINESE NAME: Bi Cheng Qie

ORIGIN: Indonesia

HABITAT: Nowadays, Cubeb pepper is grown only in Indonesia, on the islands of Java (the main place of cultivation), Sumatra, Borneo. The plant is also found in the wild.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION: Cubeb (lat. Piper cubeba L.f.) is a species of the genus Pepper (lat. Piper), the family Peppercorns (lat. Piperaceae), of the order Pepperaceous (lat. Piperales).

Cubeb pepper is a climbing shrub up to 6 m tall, with knotty - thickened stems, leathery dark green leaves and flowers collected in a cob-shaped inflorescence.Berries are collected in clusters resembling clusters of black pepper. The difference between black pepper and cubeb pepper is in the longer testis of the last one. The fruits of Cubeb reach 6 mm in diameter. They are dark green in color, with a gray tint. The fruits of pepper are hollow inside and contain black seeds. The fruits are rough and wrinkled from the outside. In the process of drying, the fruits become dark, gray-brown. Cubeb has one of the strongest and sharpest aromas in comparison with other types of pepper. Its taste is hot-spicy, with a pleasantly cooling mint hue.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: Cubeb pepper fruits contain from 15% to 18% of essential oil, consisting mainly of dipentene, cadinene and stearoptene. The plant also includes alkaloids, piperine, sesamin, volatile oil, fixed oil and gum. Cubebin gives Cubeb pepper a burning substance. Cubeb also includes all the main components of black pepper - piperidine, havicin, protein, vitamins, etc. Piper Cubeba also has phenolic acids, flavonoids, pectins and amino acids.

This plant is used externally in cosmetics as it has excellent cleansing properties. Piper Cubeba is suitable for oily skin, it narrows pores, and reduces sebum secretion.

HISTORY AND INTERESTING FACTS:

The first mention of this plant is found in Indian literature written more than 3,000 years ago in Sanskrit.

Cubeb pepper, contains a lot of essential oil, which gives the spice a rich taste and aroma. This is one of the most famous classic spices. It was added to the drinks of Indonesian dancers to create a special mood.

Known since medieval times, it has remained a cheap and even fake black pepper substitute.

This pepper is the spiciest seasoning among all types of peppers. It is 4 times hotter than black pepper and at the same time has the weakest degree of hotness.