White Pepper

I don’t understand white pepper.

I also don’t really know that much about it. Being not particularly familiar to me, I’ll do what I do with all strange (to me) things, and deem it a ‘Tool of the Devil’. You know, like how Grandpa Simpson describes the Metric System.

Apparently it’s black pepper with the outside skin removed. White pepper is only the inside little bit. The wikipedia entry also goes into details about pink and green peppercorns, but I’m sticking with white pepper for this entry.

My first response when I learned that was to ask which poor fool has the job of stripping off the outer husk? Then it was explained that there are processes to take care of that.

Regardless, it’s pepper, but not really very good pepper. The outer skin adds a lot to the flavour. So, apparently you only use white pepper for appearance sake. Mashed potatoes are a perfect spot for white pepper. Ditto the sauce for macaroni and cheese. Little black flecks in either of those dishes would be rather off-putting.

So, imagine my surprise when I was reading an older cookbook by one of Vancouver (and Winnipeg’s) greatest chefs, Rob Feenie. He called for ‘freshly ground white pepper’ on some short ribs that were to be braised. I’m certain that looks aren’t going to play a role in that dish, at least for the first bit.

I wonder why – is there something magical about white pepper that I’m missing?