The Aleppo Pepper Fallacy: Misinformation And The Truth About This Fantastic Spice: a informative blog about aleppo pepper.
By Jeff Kastner
A long time ago, I worked in the spice industry. I was an independent sales rep selling spices to the food service industry and retail spice shops. I saw all kinds of crazy things. I observed that many stores would put different labels on the same bottles. In some cases, the spices were identical, but because the bottles were differently labeled, companies were trying to create different brands. It was insane!
The Aleppo pepper is a good example of this practice. It is a sweet, fruity chili pepper grown in Syria and Turkey. Its name comes from its city of origin: Aleppo, Syria. Once upon a time (before 1930), it was considered one of the finest peppers in the world—the king of sweet chilies, with low hotness and high sweetness…and everyone wanted it! But then things changed (circa 1930), and much like good whiskey, it became more difficult to find as demand outpaced supply.
In fact, “true” Aleppo pepper became so scarce that unscrupulous vendors began using other peppers to imitate the real thing—which they did quite well—and gave birth to the
The Aleppo Pepper Fallacy: Misinformation And The Truth About This Fantastic Spice
The Aleppo pepper is one of the most popular peppers in the world. It is found in many dishes from many different countries and cultures, from India to Mexico and from Lebanon to Greece. It is a mild chili pepper with a hint of sweet. The pepper has a warm, lingering flavor. The Aleppo pepper is often used in soups, stews, dips, and spreads. In addition to being used as a spice, it is also often used for medicinal purposes.
Aleppo pepper is a premium grade of chili pepper that is grown in the region around Aleppo, Syria. To be considered true Aleppo pepper the chili peppers must be harvested by hand and ground after their skins have been removed. The peppers are then bagged in burlap sacks and sold to exporters.
Trying to find information on this spice online can be a challenge because of the large amount of misinformation that exists on the subject. This is because this spice was once known as “false” Aleppo pepper. Food fraudsters would sell a product labeled as Aleppo pepper that was actually made from local chilis grown in India or China. This problem has resulted in some confusion about what Aleppo pepper is and where it comes from.
This blog is an attempt to shed some light on this very interesting spice, including how to make your own if you are so inclined.
It is possible that Aleppo Pepper will not become a part of your culinary life. It is certainly not impossible that it will. If you are the kind of person who enjoys life and food, you owe it to yourself to give Aleppo Pepper a try. You may discover a world of flavor you never knew existed.
The following is an excerpt from my book about this fantastic spice:
I have researched Aleppo Pepper and the information I have discovered is not only eye opening but also very educational. The Aleppo Pepper is a lot more than just a spice. It is a legacy of middle eastern heritage that should be honored and celebrated by all. This is what I want to do here at AleppoPepper
Aleppo pepper is actually a type of pepper from the region around the city of Aleppo in Northern Syria.
The Peppers from Syria are believed to have been introduced to Europe by the Crusaders who discovered them during the First Crusades from 1096 to 1099, and then brought back to Europe.
The Best Peppers come from this area because of the soil and climate conditions in this region, which are ideal for growing the peppers. It is a place where it rains a lot. The temperature is also moderate all year round, which means that these peppers do not need any special conditions to grow.
Touted as “the world’s most ancient spice” (it’s not), Aleppo pepper is often compared to paprika or cayenne, but if you’ve ever tasted it, you know how different it is. Aleppo pepper tastes like sweet fruit and chocolate, with hints of citrus and earthiness. In short, it’s amazing, and unlike anything else you’ve ever tasted.
In recent years the price of Aleppo pepper has nearly doubled due to increased demand and production costs. The Syrian civil war has also had a negative impact on its supply as well as its availability outside Syria.[2] This has led to concerns about current supplies and higher prices for consumers
The Aleppo pepper is a type of red pepper, used as a spice. In the United States, it is often referred to as the Halaby pepper. It is originally from Syria and named after the city of Aleppo. The characteristics of this pepper include its wrinkled skin, which resembles an Armenian cucumber (the plant can reach up to one foot in length), and its mild flavor. It is the preferred pepper for cooking in Lebanon.
The seed pods are generally dried and crushed into powder form prior to being used as a spice; the powder may be used whole or mixed with other spices. Aleppo pepper is considered spicy but not overpowering and blends well with other spices including paprika, cumin, coriander, nutmeg and cinnamon. It can be found in many spice mixes such as Za’atar, baharat and shawarma spice mix. It can also be used in soups or stews, or sprinkled on meats or salads prior to serving
The Aleppo pepper can be found in Middle Eastern markets, specialty grocery stores and online retailers such as Starwest Botanicals.