Poivre Noir : Black Pepper Sauce
ORIGINAL RECEIPT:
165. Poivre noir: Black Pepper Sauce. Grind ginger, round pepper and burnt toast, infuse this in vinegar (var.: and a little verjuice) and boil it. – Le Viandier de Taillevent, 14th century
This recipe makes a lovely, rich sauce that pairs well with robust red meats, such as venison, boar, and beef. The quantities of ingredients can be tweaked to make the sauce thicker or thinner to your preference, and you should also feel free to adjust the amount of pepper to taste. The tartness of the vinegar might surprise you on first taste, but after a little acclimation, we think you’ll like it as much as we do. The charred tasted of the bread combined with the bite of the pepper rounds out the flavor sensations that go with this sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 slice bread, toasted until black
- 1/3 cup verjuice, or equal parts cider vinegar and water
- 1 Tbs. wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
I tried the black pepper sauce though I am not a big pepper fan. This sauce may have changed that altogether. It summoned what to me tasted like a true Medieval flavor!
I can’t wait to try this, it sounds really interesting!
What kind of bread would you recommend for this recipe?
Something a bit earthy, but without seeds, is what I usually go for. Any bread will do in a pinch, but try to find something that looks a bit medieval, rather than a modern white bread.
Not sure i agree with your redaction. The original says vinegar (optional: and a little verjuice). You have them listed opposite as verjuice and a little vinegar. Also where did the water come from? There is no water mentioned in the original.
A single piece of blackened toast will totally absorb 1/3 cup liquid. I sure won’t look like your photo. There has to be at least a cup of liquid, mostly likely more showing in your photo.
One of the reasons it mentions “round pepper” ……what we know as whole black peppercorns (round pepper) was not the only pepper used. Piper longum, or long pepper, was the preferred pepper fruit used in early times until the domestication of black pepper. The Romans preferred long pepper. Black pepper began to compete with black pepper for use in European cuisine in 1200, and by 1400, black pepper was the more common spice.