Banasura black pepper comes from the Wayanad district, in the hills of Kerala, in south-west India. It takes its name from Banasura hill and the large Banasura Sagar reservoir, at the heart of a region of forests and coffee, tea and spice plantations. It is Piper nigrum, the same plant as classic black pepper, but grown on a highland plateau where cool nights slow down the ripening of the berries.

What sets it apart is its large, dark-brown grains and its aromatic profile. On the nose it suggests cocoa and honey; on the palate, a touch of citrus brings freshness, followed by woody, lightly smoky notes, almost like black tea. Then the heat arrives, warm and gradual, with a long finish. It's a pepper you notice on grilled meat, a risotto or even a chocolate dessert.

I offer it in a 50 g jar to discover it, a 200 g bag for everyday cooking, and by the kilo for keen cooks and professionals.

Wayanad is a highland district in northern Kerala, set in the Western Ghats, the mountain range running along India's south-west coast. These humid forests are considered the birthplace of black pepper: this is where Piper nigrum grows wild, as a vine clinging to trees. The region still lives from coffee, tea, cardamom and pepper, often grown together on small farms under the forest canopy.

Below, the Malabar Coast was for centuries the world's great pepper market. Roman merchants were already buying it at the port of Muziris, then Arab traders, and in 1498 Vasco da Gama landed near Calicut, opening the sea route for spices to Europe. Pepper was so precious that it was called « black gold », and it was sometimes used to pay rents and taxes.

The name Banasura comes from Hindu mythology: Bana, an asura king, son of Mahabali. The hill that bears his name now overlooks the Banasura Sagar lake, formed by one of the largest earth dams in India.