Tasmanian Pepperberry

Tasmanian pepperberry, also called mountain pepper or bush pepper, is the spice produced from the small dark berries of Tasmannia lanceolata (syn. Drimys lanceolata), a dense evergreen shrub in the Winteraceae family. Native to the cool temperate rainforests of Tasmania and southeastern Australia, it belongs to the same ancient plant family as New Zealand’s horopito and borrows its bite from the same chemical compound, polygodial. The dried berries open sweet and fruity, with hints of clove and eucalyptus, before a slow peppery heat builds and gently numbs the tongue. Indigenous Tasmanians used it as both food and medicine, and today it stands as Australia’s answer to black pepper. It lifts curries, cheeses, dressings, and sauces, and is even shipped to Japan to season wasabi.