Pink Peppercorns Pink peppercorns are fruits
of the Brazilian pepper tree, Schinus
terebinthifolius, which was brought to the
southern United States as an ornamental and
has become an invasive pest. Its attractive
pink fruits were first marketed as a kind of
pepper in the 1980s. The tree is in the cashew
and mango family, which also includes poison
ivy and poison oak, and its brittle,
peppercorn-sized fruits contain cardanol, an
irritating phenolic compound that limits its
usefulness in foods. Pink peppercorns have
fresh, pine, citrus, and sweet aroma notes
thanks to several terpenes. A close relative
from Peru, S. molle, is also grown as an
ornamental and is called the California pepper
tree. Its fruits have a more resinous aroma
(thanks to myrcene), with less irritant
cardanol.
Sichuan Pepper, Sansho The Chinese spice
known as Sichuan pepper and the Japanese