Black Kampot pepper

Black Kampot pepper is harvested and sorted by hand then dried in the sun. It comes from the province of Kampot and Kep in Cambodia.

This "grand cru" black pepper spices up a mint sorbet, stuffed guinea fowl, red meat or game.

Best used just before serving.

Black Kampot pepper becomes bitter if cooked for too long.

Kampot Pepper dates back to the Kingdom of Angkor. Written records can be traced back to the travelogue of 13th century explorer Tcheou Ta Kouanau…

It is thought that the Chinese immigrants from the Hainan region brought the pepper to Kampot. They already cultivated the pepper in China.

It reached the height of its glory during the Colonial Period, and became Cambodia’s leading food export. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge reduced production to nearly zero and replaced it with rice, and it wasn’t until 30 years later that some farm families gave this pepper a new lease of life.

In 2009, Kampot became the first Cambodian pepper  to obtain the Protected Geographic Indication status (PGI).

The union of french farmers of espellette chili pepper assisted the cambodian farmers in obtaining the PGI from the French Agency for Development (Agence Française de Développement).

The PGI has enabled the Kampot pepper farmers to multiply their income ten fold. This is a wonderful example of international solidarity amongst farmers.