The King of Peppers
Việt Nam has also entered the spice export market, introducing a number of spices, including black and white pepper, to their already booming global trade in Arabica and robusta coffee. Prior to the 1990s, the country barely produced enough pepper to satisfy domestic demand; however, with a sluggish domestic market and increasing foreign demand, Việt Nam’s pepper exports have skyrocketed. However, pepper demand had increased by 9% in value and 4% in quantity between 2012 and 2016, implying that it is becoming more costly.
Việt Nam was the world’s largest producer and exporter of black and white peppercorns in 2016, producing 216,000 tonnes, or 39% of the total global output of 546,000 tonnes (table). Indonesia (15%), India (10%), and Brazil (10%) are the other major producers (10 percent).
Pepper is one of six Vietnamese agricultural products with an annual export turnover of more than USD 100 million that can compete in the international market. It is said that pepper has been an industrial plant that requires the least amount of state funding and the smallest amount of land for cultivation as compared to other long-established industrial plants such as coffee, rubber, cashew, and tea.
The Phú Quốc pepper is a well-known brand name in the international market for Vietnamese pepper. Traditionally grown in Phú Quốc Island, and it is considered a key agricultural plant on the island. The requirements to develop ecotourism and the high price of pepper are factors that contribute to the stable development of Phú Quốc pepper. It is well-known for its strong aroma, pungency, and heat. The red pepper has an especially strong aroma and sweet, citrusy heat, while the black one has large and solid corns. Compared to the famed Indian Tellicherry peppercorns, the Phu Quoc variety is not as spicy hot.
There’s also a third variety (but they’re all the same pepper species) – white pepper, and the fourth one is green pepper (unripe, good for cooking and making herbal teas). The farmers use only organic fertilizers and dry the pepper in the sunlight. Once ripe, the peppercorns are hand-harvested, then organized by type or color. The pepper is used in a variety of dishes such as fish simmered in caramel sauce, beefsteak, soups, stir-fries, and noodle soups. With scents of leather and wild yet sugary notes, it is best to grind it using a mortar and pestle to release its flavors. This pepper will delight your pan-fried foie gras, red meats, roast poultry, and vegetable gratins.
Vietnamese pepper is divided into two types: black and white, with black pepper accounting for 90% of the total.
There are two types of black pepper: Class I (IPC BP-1) and class II (IPC BP-2). Class I is treated through processes such as Screening, classifying, cleaning, and drying while Class II is preliminarily treated by screening and classifying. White pepper also has two types: class I and class II which are treated under processes similarly as those of black pepper as above.
Vietnamese pepper is mainly planted on cultivated soil, especially bazan, in Highland such as Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng and in Southeast Regions such as Bình Phước, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Tây Ninh.
As the biggest pepper exporter, Vietnam rarely imports pepper. Pepper consumption in Vietnam is monotonous as there is little demand for pepper. In 2007, pepper output reaches 85,000-90,000 tons, of which 95% pepper is exported into foreign markets. The remaining is for the domestic market.
The US is the biggest peppercorn importer from Việt Nam, nearly 20% of the total export of Việt Nam, next is German, Holland, India, Singapore, Russia, and the Middle East.
