30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEThe Pepper Quest's Andaliman pepper grows on Samosir Island in Lake Toba in northern Sumatra. At 1,500 metres altitude on volcanic soil, the Batak people cultivate their Andaliman, a species of the Zanthoxylum genus botanically related to Sichuan pepper, Japanese sansho and Nepalese timut. It is technically not pepper, and it is not chili. It is a citrus blossom with electric power, and it is one of the rarer spices in The Pepper Quest's range.
The harvest is a craft that takes years to learn. The bushes have strong, toxic thorns and picking requires technique, precision and patience. The Pepper Quest works with Koopas Andaliman, a cooperative that directly supports over 150 families and works to preserve the species and its cultivation culture in a region where economic pressure would otherwise push towards simpler crops.
The flavour: citrus, electric, herbal, green tea. It numbs the tongue slightly, just like Sichuan pepper, but with a fresher and more floral register. Combine with citrus, ginger, chili and lemongrass in Indonesian contexts. Works brilliantly with salmon, pumpkin and coconut milk bases. A truly fascinating spice.
