I'm not asking why it's popular, but why unlike all other spices, it's got a special status co-equal with the salt shaker.
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Replying to @Pinboard
Universal condiment. Pepper when cooked accentuates rich, deep flavours. Raw, it adds spice. Salt lifts and sweetens and can work towards adding umami. Aside from the changes they make to the food, they don't really add a new flavour (in condiment quantities).
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Replying to @gsuberland
A lot of raw spices add spice, but we don't put nutmeg or cumin or ginger in a special shaker on the table. You see what I'm getting at?
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Replying to @Pinboard
Follow-up tweet explains it. Neutral flavour enhancer.
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Replying to @gsuberland @Pinboard
If you're asking why pepper gets to share the podium with salt, then the answer is that they both serve the same role - neutral flavour enhancers. If you're asking why pepper is a neutral flavour enhancer that rivals salt, then that's a biochem question I can't answer.
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Replying to @gsuberland
It's not a neutral flavor enhancer, though, in the same way that salt or MSG are. It tastes like pepper.
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Replying to @Pinboard
It is, though. And salt tastes like salt. Salty things taste salty because they either contain salt or other molecules that trigger the salt receptors in our tongues. The only difference is that few things other than pepper contain piperine naturally.
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Replying to @gsuberland
You are just nerd guessing with me now. You don't know pepper TRUTH. Out!
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Replying to @Pinboard
You're moving the goalposts in expectation of some single eureka point that'll sell you on the reason for its status. There's no one reason. It's a fairly neutral spice, works on lots of foods, was historically sought after, and also historically well-marketed and profitable.
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Replying to @gsuberland @Pinboard
It was sold nearly globally for a very long time, so it has become a staple spice in many cultures, which means that it remains pervasive after hundreds of years of cultural growth and sharing. There are probably a hundred more reasons why it's popular.
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You are satisfied with your explanation, so go in peace. But my peppery quest must continue.
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Replying to @Pinboard @gsuberland
The other spices you mentioned aren't much of a meat spice, pepper is pretty much only a meat spice. Pepper also stores better, others lose flavor. Pepper & salt on table shows status, also.
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