Kampot Pepper from Cambodia Photo Essay + GIVEAWAY!
In the 1920’s every French (restaurant) kitchen worth it’s salt and pepper used Kampot pepper from Cambodia, a former French colony. When Pol Pot became dictator of Kampuchea he declared Grow Rice, Not Spice, a rhyming but odd domestic policy as Cambodia suddenly had no exports. It used to export this to Europe by the tonne.
Like Champagne, this pepper has geographical appellation status because of it’s unique taste… and scent.
Black Kampot Peppercorns
Smell
The Top notes have hints of mint and eucalyptus followed by a floral heart and a base note that can only be described as pepper ++. The smell is enchanting, it is appetite enchanting, this Bordeaux of peppercorns is absolutely aromatic and a taste sensation.
Red Kampot Peppercorns
Taste
Add to strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar to wow your next dinner guests. Rough pound with pestle for savory dishes or freshly grind to sprinkle just prior to serving. Oh, and throw away the MSG that you have hiding back left of your pantry.
Kampot Pepper is the first Cambodian product to benefit from the status of Protected Geographical Indication. The taste and smell is linked to the terroir, rainfall, the local water and traditional Khmer farming techniques.
It’s got a floral dimension that’s really something special.
Anthony Bourdain
Food and Travel Show Host
A certain sweetness to it rather than straightforward heat.
Michael Laiskonis
Le Bernardin
New York City
Perfect with Kep crab
It just so happens that I was in Kampot recently, eating crab cooked on the beach in nearby Krep, and pepper shopping.
We have 8 Kampot peppercorns to give away!
Let’s make that 8 bags of peppercorns to give away on Australian Perfume Junkies.
For you?
I use 2 parts red to 1 part black and words fail when trying to describe the X factor of the red peppercorns. There are also green and white Kampot peppercorns but these were not harvested when I motorcycled into town.
Gifts – one bag of black and one bag of red Kampot peppercorns from Cambodia
HOW DO YOU WIN
Leave a comment below telling us your favourite use of pepper in food, fashion or fragrance or Like The Fragrant Man on Facebook to be in the random draw.
WHAT YOU CAN WIN
Lets make that 8 gifts consisting of one bag of red peppercorns and one bag of black peppercorns so that you can taste the difference.
Included is P&P to anywhere in the world
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Close Friday April 19th 2013 10pm AEDST and winners will be announced in a separate post then.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.
The winners will have till Wednesaday 24th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or Portia will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.
Will you buy banana? Looking after in-law’s banana stall while they negotiated local prices for the pepper. Kampot Market, Cambodia.
Photo: Houv Tang
Further Reading: Time Magazine
Love,
Jordan
Australian Perfume Junkies 
As a person who is constantly ravenous (hence always eating 🙂 !!) I loved this post….Jordan looks like he is having such fun selling those bananas!
would love to be entered in this draw!!!!
xx
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Oh and may I add I am impressed with Jin’s talent at simultaneously watching TV whilst picking the winner!!!
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Hey Brie,
Jin is an extremely talented man. Two things at the same time is pretty good for a guy.
Portia xx
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Portia, what are you talking about? I have seen a man grill steaks, talk, AND drink beer, all at the same time. He may also have been thinking, bringing the total simultaneous tasks to four, but I’m not so sure about that last one.
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No No NO! It was sleight of hand. Each of these things happened in its own moment. Notice how conversations stop momentarily as the sausage or steak is turned?
Portia xx
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Why Portia, you sly but accurate observer. And here I always thought that pause was meditative, a quick Zen reflection on the essence of the food being cooked. Now I realize it’s their brain saying ” must use both hands at once..one to turn meat … one to hold beer…can’t….talk….
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He He He He
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Just realized that I did NOT abide by the rules…favorite usage of pepper in food? Freshly ground over home made fettucini…(now I am really getting hungry 🙂 !!)
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Hunger here too. Into the hat you go Brie. Thanks for abiding.
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Would love to win this draw! My favorite use of pepper is in all forms and on nearly everything. I love to try all different kinds, and somehow have missed Kampot pepper. Maybe my favorite use is a light mist of freshly ground pepper over fried eggs from my own hens. The smooth richness of the yolks, the aromatic bite of the pepper…yum.
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A light mist… yes you are in the draw.
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Oh, this is a drawing I must enter. I love freshly ground pepper on spaghetti alla carbonara (any pasta dish, for that matter), on salads, on meats, on eggs (essential!), on veggies – you name it! I have used black pepper in several of my perfumes, and pink pepper in others. Something I’ve never had but would like to try is black pepper in chocolate.
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Never seen or tasted pink pepper but it is in BangBang or Bang or maybe BangBangBang. Did you say chocolate and pepper? Into the draw you go.
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Thank you for this draw! As far as I know I have never tried Kampot pepper. I like to grind pink pepper, dried rosebuds and mint together and use as a seasoning for yogurt. A little fresh ground black pepper over a white or cream sauce is great too. For me a little pepper goes a long way.
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Azar, I love your style. I use this pepper in raita. Checking out the dry rose buds now as well as putting you in the draw.
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What a great giveaway! Have never tried this and would love to see how it works in my cooking. My favorite use of pepper in fragrance is Caron’s Parfum Sacre.
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And what a great perfume from the great House of Caron. You are in with a grin.
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What a generous and wonderful give away! My favorite pepper scent is L’Artisan Poivre Piquant. In cuisine I love a good Carbonara as well as salt & pepper shrimp.
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Ordering Poivre Piquant now and Carb Carb Carbonara for dinner thank you. O, and you are in the draw (you distracted me!)
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What a kind and fab offer, and one I simply can’t resist. These Kampot peppercorns look like a real treat.
My OH will claim, sniffing disapprovingly, that I put pepper on everything like a demented autocondimentor but I love that fresh spark of fragrance and heat.
Simple things like wheaten bread with fruity olive oil, ripe vine tomatoes and freshly ground sea salt and pepper are my weakness, and I wish I had some right now!
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
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Sprinkling you into the draw Anna in Edinburgh.
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I love fresh ground pepper on everything. A favorite snack is toast with cream cheese and freshly ground pepper. Poivre Piquant was my first niche fb, and still my favorite.
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It is all about freshly ground. Never could understand people buying pre-ground – the oil dissipates and the taste and scent is shallow. You are in.
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Love to eat, love to cook, love pepper on everything! not peanut butter but french fries…yes!
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Love to eat, love to cook, love to put you in the draw.
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I like lots of pepper with my home made pesto. Not traditional, but damb good.
I have yet to feature pepper in anything to do
with fashion.
Bussis
CQ
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damn, forsooth.
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Love home-made pesto. How about Kampot Pepper cookies!
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That sounds truly wonderful. In the past, when I was able to eat carbs and my waistline managed itself, I used to make thin, not-too-sweet butter shortbread cookies with pepper in them. The deep aromatic pepper goes surprisingly well with a little sweetness. They were great with a glass of sherry alongside…
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Don’t wine biscuits have pepper in them? Those are sort of like cookies.
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Absolutely. Instead of ginger maybe. Hmmmmmm.
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I have to use a light hand with pepper in this house. Hubby doesn’t like too much spice/heat. I do love pepper crusted steaks sometimes when we go out to eat.
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Lets eat out Poodle. In the hat you go.
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Feral Jasmine you and your waistline are in. My waistline used to manage itself too.
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Pepper is so versatile, I like it to mitigate sweetness in syrup for poached fruit. And Szechuan pepper is scintillating in stir fry chicken, makes your mouth numb if you use too much.
Please enter me for the draw!
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Yes that Szechuan pepper experience is numbing and addictive. A taste sensation. All the best in the draw.
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I use freshly ground pepper in everything except orange juice. I love pepper. I LOVES IT! One of my favorite dishes is pepper-crusted New York Strip steak, though I can’t eat a lot of it. But oh, mama, is it GOOOOD! Dom Deluise had The BEST recipe for that – it was the first dish he made for the lady who would become his wife. Normally I would say DNEM but to hell with that! For pepper? ENTER ME! wait. that sounded….uh…well, throw me in the hat, okay?
xo
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Entered. Into the spice you go Musette, you unidentifiable blossom dipped in wild honey and now sprinkled with pepper! (Re: Noora review)
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Hey Jordan,
Another great post and giveaway DNEM! I am sorry I’m so late to the party, internet went down last night. GRRRR
Pepper on a steak please.
Portia x
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Must be showtime now that you are here. You have been flagged DNEM for this draw.
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If I had Kampot Pepper it would be the pepper in staring role. A whole chicken covered in a marinade of pepper and lemon with a semi dry curry paste of garlic, ginger and more pepper dry roasted. If you are going to use Kampot then the dish should be Cambodian. With the left over pepper I would serve vanilla and pepper ice cream along side a chocolate fondant.
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Dude I am a-coming to that dinner party. If you win I will hand-deliver the peppercorns!
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Love the article thanks!
I love to coat tofu in all kinds of peppers mixed together, with a little chilli and salt, then shallow fry.
It’s spicy and delicious.
For a perfume I grind black pepper and mix with a little fresh vanilla straight from the pod.
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Tofu is amazing as is yourself. Pepper and vanilla seem to have an affinity in this conversation. Into the pan you go Suzannerbanks!
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Hehehehehe x
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Interesting article. I use pepper sparingly on air popped popcorn — a little peanut oil (or olive oil), mustard powder, onion flakes, lemon pepper = YUM!
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Peanut oil is amazing to work with; another taste sensation. This post has inspired a weekend and the following weeks cooking. And you are in the draw Hajusuuri.
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Hi Jordan,
I love your pic at the bananas stall! Pepper is my favorite spice. I like it on everything, but coarsely ground over a big piece of rare Brazilian beef right from the barbecue is the best way to use it, IMO. Huuummm, now I can hear my stomach! As a perfume note, I still need to investigate…Thank’s for the amazing and generous draw!
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No one bought my bananas. Brazilian cooking, yum. Solance you are in draw.
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Yesterday my neighbour brought us super yummy bananas. I’ll have to bake a cake!
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We sell Kampot pepper in the U.S. (and elsewhere) and have a bunch of recipes at http://www.pepperproject.org…..you like Bloody Mary’s?…try soaking 3/4 cup of Kampot peppercorns in a bottle of vodka for 3 weeks or so….strain the peppercorns out….guaranteed it will make the best Bloody Mary you eever tasted….
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Excellent advice which needs urgent attention and action. Planning the weekend now thank you Tim.
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So envious of your adventure! But grateful for the generous giveaway, sharing chances to win with so many people. Please count me in.
Poivre by Caron is a great pepper-ish fragrance though I get lotsa carnation/clove/leather. Was one of my first high-end buys, on impulse, possibly most expensive. I was in college and visiting NYC, spent more than an hour in the Caron boutique with the urns and the swansdown poufs and rose-scented powders…super-girly and I loved it, but then the urn frags were so, not masculine exactly, but strong and deep in a way that the popular fuiry florals were not. I also like Parfum Sacre which smells like a peppery vanillic rose and then dries to the scent-impression of white lilies.
I love pepper in desserts, like in chocolate and brownies (Taza salt and pepper chocolate,mmmm). I used to sprinkle white pepper on lemon cake. And in hot chocolate, chai, even a little in lemonade. Also love salmon baked with lemon and pepper, it’s simple and great.
Have not yet tried strawberries that way but now I would really like to!
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Hope you can! I am sprinkling you into the pan now for the draw. Thank you too Mim for all the information and your NY story from just last year.
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Fettucini !
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Kampot pepper is really delicious.. make me travel each time I taste it.
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