Timur Pepper, Nepal

From the same family as Szechuan peppercorn, this ‘false flag’ pepper comes from Nepal. It has the same tongue tingling, mouth numbing properties, with intense citrus and grapefruit notes. These citrus qualities make Timur pepper perfect for fish dishes. In Nepal Timur is commonly used in dry vegetable dishes, especially with potatoes, and also it is used in tomato-based dishes and curries, often with pork. It is an integral part of Nepali curry powders and seasonings, and is a very popular spice in the country. Because of its affinity with fish, Timur pepper can be used to give an exotic twist to many traditional fish preparations, and one of our favourites is to use Timur together with lemon and salt to season a sea bass cooked ‘en papilotte’