Red Voatsiperifery pepper grows at the heart of the Malagasy forests, on vines which grow up to 10m high. It comes from the Piperaceae botanic family. Its name comes from “voa” which means fruit and “tsiperifery” from the name of the plant in Malagasy (Piper borbonense). This wild pepper only produces fruit on young shoots from June to August in southeast Madagascar.

The quality of red Voatsiperifery pepper comes from the careful picking process. The peppercorns do not all ripen at the same time, so there may be unripe green peppercorns on the same drupe as fully ripened red peppercorns. So, the peppercorns are picked at different stages of maturity depending on the type of pepper required: the red Voatsiperifery pepper is harvested when fully ripened. 

This little tailed pepper releases strong notes of burnt herbs, rounded off with powerful fruity aromas. The taste has a fairly spicy attack with exotic flavours. Pepper specialists will delight in using this Malagasy treasure in their festive dishes:

delicate fish, veal, roast sea bass and grilled lobster.

Its fresh and fruity notes will enliven chocolate desserts, delicate fish and grilled red meat. Perfect with sautéed girolles or roast poultry.

To get the best from this rare Madagascar pepper, grind it roughly with a pestle and mortar. Be careful not to cook it for too long in your dishes as this could make it bitter.

Wine and pepper pairing: just like vines, harvesting the drupes of pepper at different degrees of ripeness gives different types of Voatsiperifery pepper. Choose a red wine with a supple attack and notes of camphor like a Bourgueil (powerful, tannic and rustic).