🇸🇦 Arabicar
فلفل وردي
fulful wardi
Brazil, Brazil
Pink Pepper
Réunion
island of origin
Schinus terebinthifolius, introduced 18th c.
0
% true pepper
it belongs to the Anacardiaceae, not Piperaceae
Nov–Jan
peak harvest window
handpicked when fully ripe and deep rose
5
key aroma compounds
α-phellandrene, limonene, β-caryophyllene
Visual atlas
Profile
Schinus terebinthifolia is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to subtropical and tropical South America. Common names include Brazilian peppertree, aroeira, rose pepper, broadleaved pepper tree, wilelaiki, Christmasberry tree and Florida holly. The species name has been very commonly misspelled as 'terebinthifolius'.
Pink pepper is the dried drupe of Schinus terebinthifolia, a Brazilian cashew-family tree; botanically it has nothing to do with Piper nigrum. The berries blush to a hollow papery pink when ripe, and bring a fruity, resinous, mildly sweet profile with a light peppery tingle. Most of the world's supply now comes from Réunion and Brazil. Pink pepper is the signature of French nouvelle-cuisine gastronomy of the 1970s — where it was popularized for duck breast, salmon, beurre blanc — and is often paired with black and white pepper in mélange blends. It should be added at the end of cooking to preserve the aroma.
Process
01Year 1–2
Bush establishment
Schinus terebinthifolius grows fast in Réunion's humid lowlands. Planted from seed, it flowers within 18 months and needs no irrigation.
02Sep–Oct
Flowers and green berries
Clusters of tiny white flowers give way to green berries in late spring. They harden over six weeks before colour turns.
03Nov–Jan
Rose harvest
Berries are picked by hand at peak deep-rose colour — not red, not orange. A skilled picker harvests 8–10 kg per day.
04Days 1–5
Freeze-drying or air-dry
Premium Réunion pink pepper is freeze-dried to lock the colour and fragile volatile oils. Cheaper grades are room-temperature dried, which dulls the hue.
05Your kitchen
Crack, don't grind
Crush gently in a mortar or use a wide-set pepper mill. Fine grinding releases tannins from the shell and turns bitter.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
Pink pepper has no piperine. Its perfume comes from monoterpenes — α-phellandrene and α-pinene — and trace urushiols explain the rare allergic reactions in cashew-sensitive eaters.
0%
Piperine
not a Piperaceae
3–5%
Essential oil
of dried drupe
Anacardiaceae
Family
cashew & mango cousin
100%
Of supply
from S. terebinthifolius
Volatile compound profile
- α-phellandrene26.5%
Mint-citrus, slightly peppery.
- α-pinene18.2%
Pine resin, fresh entry.
- Limonene14.7%
Bright citrus, lemon-grapefruit.
- β-phellandrene9.3%
Herbaceous, peppermint-pine.
- β-myrcene6.4%
Earthy, slightly fruity.
- δ-3-carene4.8%
Sweet, dry, cypress-like.
- Sabinene3.5%
Terpenic, fresh-pepper hit.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Piperine | Oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Pink pepper (Brazil) Schinus terebinthifolius · Anacardiaceae | 0% | 4.2% |
Schinus molle (Peru) Peruvian pink — different species | 0% | 5.0% |
Black pepper Piper nigrum reference | 5.5% | 2.5% |
Allspice Caribbean · eugenol-driven | 0% | 3–5% |
Juniper Conifer — α-pinene cousin | 0% | 1–3% |
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
2 signature dishes
Aroeira berries are native to Brazilian coastal forests — used in regional fish dishes and the cachaça traditions of Minas Gerais.
- Moqueca de peixegrade: pink-pepper
Bahian fish stew where pink pepper is sometimes scattered at the table for floral lift over coconut and dendê.
- Cachaça aromatizadagrade: pink-pepper
Cachaça infused with aroeira berries — Minas Gerais countryside tradition.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
粉红胡椒
fěn hóng hú jiāo
🇳🇱 Dutchnl
Roze peper
🇬🇧 Englishen
Pink Pepper
🇫🇷 Frenchfr
Poivre rose
🇩🇪 Germande
Rosa Pfeffer
🇮🇱 Hebrewhe
פלפל ורוד
pilpel varod
🇮🇳 Hindihi
गुलाबी मिर्च
gulabi mirch
🇮🇩 Indonesianid
Lada merah muda
🇮🇹 Italianit
Pepe rosa
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
ピンクペッパー
pinku peppā
🇰🇷 Koreanko
핑크 페퍼
pingkeu pepeo
🇲🇾 Malayms
Lada merah jambu
🇮🇷 Persianfa
فلفل صورتی
felfel surati
🇵🇱 Polishpl
Pieprz różowy
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Aroeira
🇷🇺 Russianru
Розовый перец
rozovyy perets
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Pimienta rosa
🇸🇪 Swedishsv
Rosépeppar
🇹🇭 Thaith
พริกไทยชมพู
phrik thai chompoo
🇹🇷 Turkishtr
Pembe biber
🇻🇳 Vietnamesevi
Tiêu hồng
Pairings
Protein
- Salmon tartare
- Scallop carpaccio
Sweet
- Vanilla ice cream
- Strawberry tartlet
- Milk chocolate truffles
Drink
- Rosé wine & Champagne
Substitutes
- Cubeb Pepper45% match· soon
- Sichuan Pepper40% match· soon
- Allspice30% match· soon
Frequent questions
No. Schinus terebinthifolius belongs to the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), not the pepper family (Piperaceae). It shares no botanical relationship with black, white or green pepper. People with tree-nut allergies should exercise caution — some reactions have been documented, though the EU cleared it for sale without restriction in 1986 after a temporary ban.