(Kampot Pepper, Poivre de Kampot, ម្រេចកំពត)
Kampot pepper or poivre de Kampot is pepper from two berry varieties, the Kamchay and the Lampong, of the species Piper nigrum L. grown in the provinces of Kampot and Kep in southern Cambodia.
There are four types of Kampot pepper – green, black, red, and white. The green variety is harvested while still young on the vine. It's aromatic with a mild peppery flavor, and it's recommended to use it with grilled or fried squid dishes. The black variety has a delicate and strong aroma, and the flavor ranges from mild and sweet to intensely spicy.
It has notes of mint, flowers, and eucalyptus, and it's recommended to use it with most dishes, and especially with grilled fish. The rare red variety is harvested when fully mature on the vine. The aroma is intense and fruity, while the flavors are spicy and sweet. Read more
It's recommended to use it in meat dishes and desserts. The rare white variety is developed by soaking red berries in water. The aroma is intense and delicate, and the flavors are strong and spicy with notes of lime and fresh grass. The pepper production in this area started blooming with the arrival of French colonists and made Kampot a synonym for a high-quality product known in France and the rest of Europe.
With the Khmer Rouge regime and civil law at the end of the 20th century, the production completely stopped. Finally, when the war ended, the producers started from scratch and began cultivating pepper once again using traditional methods. Thanks to the amazing climate and soil conditions of the area and techniques aimed at ensuring the drainage of the soil, this pepper is of the finest quality, well known for its aroma and balanced pungency.
