fruity · resinous · sweet-pepper-flesh
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
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.
Tasting notes
fruity · resinous · sweet-pepper-flesh
A sweet, resinous nose recalling juniper and terebinth, with pine and mild citrus lifts from alpha-pinene, myrcene and limonene. The bite is gentle, almost fruity, closer to a dried berry than to true Piper nigrum pungency, and it finishes with a soft peppery warmth.
Flavor compass
The dominant commercial species, from the Atlantic forest of Espírito Santo and Bahia. Bright coral-pink berries, fruity-sweet with a resinous bite. The form French cuisine adopted in the 1980s as 'baies roses'.
The Andean species, the 'molle' that pre-Columbian civilisations fermented into chicha. Smaller, darker pink-red berries with a sharper, more peppery finish — used in Mexican and Peruvian cooking long before Schinus terebinthifolius reached Europe.
Schinus terebinthifolius naturalised on Réunion since the 19th century, harvested on small plantations around Saint-Paul and Saint-Leu. Lighter, more floral than the Brazilian, with a pronounced juniper note — the grade French chefs prize for pairing with foie gras and white fish.
Schinus terebinthifolius grows fast in Réunion's humid lowlands. Planted from seed, it flowers within 18 months and needs no irrigation.
Clusters of tiny white flowers give way to green berries in late spring. They harden over six weeks before colour turns.
Berries are picked by hand at peak deep-rose colour — not red, not orange. A skilled picker harvests 8–10 kg per day.
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.
Crush gently in a mortar or use a wide-set pepper mill. Fine grinding releases tannins from the shell and turns bitter.
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
Mint-citrus, slightly peppery.
Pine resin, fresh entry.
Bright citrus, lemon-grapefruit.
Herbaceous, peppermint-pine.
Earthy, slightly fruity.
Sweet, dry, cypress-like.
Terpenic, fresh-pepper hit.
| 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% |
Sainte-Suzanne, Réunion · est. 1996
“The small-scale Réunionese producer growing and hand-sorting Schinus terebinthifolius pink pepper on the north-eastern coast of the island.”
MethodsSchinus terebinthifolius trees grown on the coastal plain 50-150 m altitude, harvest November to January at peak coral-pink stage, berries picked by hand on branch cluster, sorted on inspection tables (unripe, overripe, stems discarded), sun-dried on screens for 5-7 days. No machine drying, no preservative. Nitrogen-flushed glass jars.
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.
Bahian fish stew where pink pepper is sometimes scattered at the table for floral lift over coconut and dendê.
Cachaça infused with aroeira berries — Minas Gerais countryside tradition.
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
فلفل وردي
fulful wardi
粉红胡椒
fěn hóng hú jiāo
Roze peper
Pink Pepper
Poivre rose
Rosa Pfeffer
פלפל ורוד
pilpel varod
गुलाबी मिर्च
gulabi mirch
Lada merah muda
Pepe rosa
ピンクペッパー
pinku peppā
핑크 페퍼
pingkeu pepeo
Lada merah jambu
فلفل صورتی
felfel surati
Pieprz różowy
Aroeira
Розовый перец
rozovyy perets
Pimienta rosa
Rosépeppar
พริกไทยชมพู
phrik thai chompoo
Pembe biber
Tiêu hồng
Protein
Sweet
Drink
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.
Sources