I don't understand the appeal of pepper. It doesn't have any distinct flavour, it just tastes like sort of spicy dirt

I don't understand the appeal of pepper. It doesn't have any distinct flavour, it just tastes like sort of spicy dirt.

Why is this such a huge staple in cooking and not chili flakes or something better?

Other urls found in this thread:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22725836
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenhancer
twitter.com/SFWRedditVideos

Comparing Piper species to Capsicum is literally, and not figuratively, comparing apples to oranges. I suppose you're gonna say Sichuan pepper is superior to these other 2? It's like comparing the spice of horseradish to the spice of garlic, dude.

If you don't know how to use BLACK PEPPER correctly, arguably the most common fucking spice in the west, you're beyond help m8

Not OP, but how should I use black pepper? I usually just put a tiny bit into sauces and rubs

because it's not too much. It's something I can put on anything along with salt. Chili flakes are too distinct of a flavor to have on every course.

don't use preground pepper.

I am OP, and since it has such widespread appeal, explaining why shouldn't be that huge of a deal, so please enlighten me.

At no point have I every felt like a meal I was eating was enhanced by pepper, or thought "Man this could use a bit more pepper"

It’s a “huge staple” precisely BECAUSE it doesn’t have any distinct flavor. It gives the food the spice it needs without adding anything unnecessary. It’s a staple. It’s equivalent to using onions. Sure, there are alternatives to onions, but it’s a basic starting point. Once you master the dish, you can add your own changes.
That’s the point of staples. They are building blocks.

Beef almost always benefits from at least a little black pepper.
I'm this guy. It's literally not the same chemical as capsicum peppers, like jalapenos or cayenne. You can add spice to a dish without making it "piquant". Could you imagine guacamole or a chicken soup without a little black pepper to spice it up? A better question is why people don't use other types of peppercorns (white, red, green) more often, because it's more similar to black pepper than red pepper flakes are.

Jesus Christ you're so fucking stupid

KILL YOURSELF

I see, makes sense. Adding spice just for the sake of heat and not flavour just seems pointless and masochistic to me, but we all have our own tastes. Thanks user

If you knew anything about masochism, you’d know people generally do enjoy it.
But that’s the beautiful thing about cooking. You don’t need each ingredient to provide compound flavors. Just because pepper only provides a little heat, doesn’t mean the dish is going to be spicy and nothing more. You’re combining multiple ingredients and flavors together for a full experience. Did you add too much pepper? Maybe add more cream, or onion depending on the dish. The sky’s the limit.
>tl;dr ur dumb

I'd love to know why people are into masochism

Again, you're fucking dumb if you think black pepper="heat". It's not ANYTHING like red pepper flakes (that's heat, retard). You already stated the appeal in your post: it has an earthy, spicy flavor. It simply doesn't have the same pain-inducing heat that "true" peppers have, though. You should take a steak, season it with some black pepper+salt, and then grill one unseasoned. Tell me the black pepper doesn't bring out the savoriness, then we can talk about what other uses it has. There are dozens of uses that won't "add heat" or "cause pain". There are some dishes that are supposed to make your eyes water, and although black pepper can definitely make you sneeze, you're not using it right if it actually causes you any sort of discomfort in a dish.

Did I say earthy? I remember saying dirty.

wh*teoids dont know how to use the BIG BLACK PEPPER

Not an answer to your question, but: If you don't like black pepper then try papaya seeds. They taste very similar to pepper corns (when dried and ground, obviously) and have a lot nutritional benefits (that you can look up yourself).

Black pepper is great with turmeric. It increases the absorbtion of curcumin by about top thousand percent.

*two thousand percent

*2000%

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22725836

literally bullshit

You fool.

Trips mean things!

That study used the curcumin/piperine concoction to test for other things relating to cancer and Alzheimer's dementia.

Same thing retard. Earth is dirt

Carbonara.

check mate

Black pepper contains piperine which acts as a bioenhancer and increases absorption of many chemicals
>Piperine, an ingredient of pepper, promotes intestinal absorption by activation of the γ-glutamyltranspeptidase and inhibits the degradation of many compounds, by inhibiting different enzymes: aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), ethylmorphine N-demethylase, Uridine diphosphate (UDP) glucuronyltransferase (UGT), P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4. Especially the latter two enzymes contribute significantly to the first-pass effect.

>Piperine acts as bioenhancer to vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C, D, E, K), amino acids (lysine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine, valine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, and methionine), minerals (iodine, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, magnesium, potassium, manganese), herbal compounds (including ginsenosides, Pycnogenol), and drugs (such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, rifampicin, ampicillin, tetracycline, vasicine, pyrazinamide, fexofenadine, resveratrol, epigallocatechin, curcumin).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenhancer

No source on it but it might also increase absorption of heavy metals and other toxins since it can't really tell good from bad.

I find black pepper tends to be a more nasal "heat" than chili pepper and tastes more like a typical spice than a hot pepper

Wow. You're a genius, user. Thank you!

I discovered piperine when I looked up the benefits of curcumin not long ago but didn't think to consider if it would assist in the absorbtion of other chemicals.

I'm gonna look into adding black pepper to my morning oats to see if it will counter the anti-nutritional effects of the phytic acid in the oats.

so basically, pepper enhances the nutrition while salt enhances the flavour?

i agree, it has a kinda meh flavour