Friday, February 5, 2010

Pepper Party

Who knew that pepper grows on tall vines...kind of like grapes. Kind of. We found this pepper farm half way between Kampot and Kep. It was technically the "famous Kampot pepper farm," which meant that
these farmers where smart enough to put a sign up and get folks like us to buy pepper from them, rather
than someone else.

And, it was pretty cool. This couple farmed pepper, jack fruit, mangoes, papayas, cashews, chickens, pigs, and alcohol. Yes, they had a home-made distiller next to the pig pen making almost 100 proof rice whiskey. Woo Hoo. I wasn't brave enough to try it, but it just about knocked my companion's socks off! 

But, back to pepper...Kampot Pepper to be exact. There are four types of pepper: green, red, white and black. 
Green: right off the plant. Usually cooked on the stems, like in the farmers hand. 

Red: the most "prized" pepper, as it stays on the plant longer to fully ripen, then is hand sorted out of piles of green ones. 

Black: green pepper dried. This farm dried it right in the sun. 

White: black pepper that has been husked. This can be done when it is green, or after it is dried.


Each kind of pepper has a slightly different taste. It is all delicious. Like I mentioned before, I never liked pepper before having Kampot pepper. 

If you ever get a chance to feast on Kampot Pepper, DO IT!!!!

Check out The Hungry Cyclist as he shows viewers a typical Cambodian dish of Kampot pepper with Kep crab.  Simply irresistible!



1 comment:

  1. Holy shit, your blog is way cooler than mine. And, I feel a certain kinship to this entry on pepper, since you brought me some back, and I now I get to enjoy the flavor with the history. Is there an interesting story, for the unique tasting cambodian curry your brought back. That curry has been a sort of curry gateway drug for Deanna, who is, as a rule not a huge curry fan, but likes the cambodian variety.
    Marc

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