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Yeah! Someone threw a handful of white pepper in my eyes when I was a kid. It fucking stings.

I’m speaking from experience too. The only thing I remember that was worse at that time was when this lad nicked his dad’s bottle of “Hai Karate” aftershave and threw some in my eyes. I thought he’d blinded me :mad:
 
I’ve not eaten a pork pie for at least 36 years. But, yes, it wasn’t shortcrust, was it?

There was also suet pastry. That’s fine too. It’s shortcrust that’s evil.
Pork pie crust is made with hot water, sometimes with suet. Good shortcrust is good in its place e.g. tartes. Puff doesn’t work for proper pies or tartes. It goes soggy.
 
It's hot water crust pastry which is similar to but significantly nicer than shortcrust pastry. Also features on scotch pies.
Scotch pie cases are rolled much thinner than pork pie crust though.

I still like a macaroni pie from time to time. It has a Scotch pie case.
 
It's hot water crust pastry which is similar to but significantly nicer than shortcrust pastry. Also features on scotch pies.
Cant get pork pies here aside from some Anglo supermarkets that sell the worst mass produced sludge but I always make a point of nipping into a good bakers or butchers when I'm back in England and bringing a couple home. Ate one on the plane last night after a short lunchtime preflight session drinking Guiness and Jamesons. Crumbs everywhere and that typical English short glance of disgust from the woman in the seat adjacent.
 
Scotch pie cases are rolled much thinner than pork pie crust though.

I still like a macaroni pie from time to time. It has a Scotch pie case.
Scotch pies are the best pies. Probably the only savoury pie I had till my late teens. But I can't find them in London anymore. I once made an expedition to Farm Foods at Ilford because their website said they sold them but they were filled with unspecified meat rather than mutton, completely disgisting and made me and the mrs ill.
 
Pork pie crust is made with hot water, sometimes with suet. Good shortcrust is good in its place e.g. tartes. Puff doesn’t work for proper pies or tartes. It goes soggy.
In probably what would be labelled as a cullinary insult it works alright on those Fray Bentos tinned steak and kidney pies , you get the brittle puff pastry the soggy underneath bit and then the meat and gravy.
 
In probably what would be labelled as a cullinary insult it works alright on those Fray Bentos tinned steak and kidney pies , you get the brittle puff pastry the soggy underneath bit and then the meat and gravy.
So it’s a puff pastry lid. It’s not a real pie if It has no pastry bottom.
 
Yeah: people still have white pepper? Wow.
Yes! I am on a One-Person-Crusade to Rehabiliate White Pepper!

I bought some to go in some Chinese recipes from the delightful Ching-He Huang and have since found it is the better pepper in leek and potato soup, many cheesey dishes and anything made with white wine. Nigella's Coq au Riesling for example. It's perfect in that.

I am not at this stage advocating it as a condiment but I urge you all! Get some white pepper! You won't regret it.
 
Scotch pies are the best pies. Probably the only savoury pie I had till my late teens. But I can't find them in London anymore. I once made an expedition to Farm Foods at Ilford because their website said they sold them but they were filled with unspecified meat rather than mutton, completely disgisting and made me and the mrs ill.
Liked in appreciation of the sentiments, struggle and story. Not in approval of the hardship and illness.
 
Yes! I am on a One-Person-Crusade to Rehabiliate White Pepper!

I bought some to go in some Chinese recipes from the delightful Ching-He Huang and have since found it is the better pepper in leek and potato soup, many cheesey dishes and anything made with white wine. Nigella's Coq au Riesling for example. It's perfect in that.

I am not at this stage advocating it as a condiment but I urge you all! Get some white pepper! You won't regret it.
It’s what we used to have on the table when I was a kid. Then I left home and suddenly ground black pepper was the in thing. And mysteriously even my Mum had ditched white pepper. It was the revolution just after continental quilts. I think it all happened due to a successful subliminal mass brainwashing test featuring messages sent out by Pete Murray on Radio 2.
 
It’s what we used to have on the table when I was a kid. Then I left home and suddenly ground black pepper was the in thing. And mysteriously even my Mum had ditched white pepper. It was the revolution just after continental quilts. I think it all happened due to a successful subliminal mass brainwashing test featuring messages sent out by Pete Murray on Radio 2.
My experience exactly...and I left white pepper behind as something desperately unsophisticated that should be buried with ready grated parmesan, Blue Nun and other such horrors.
 
It's all the same plant though right? Black pepper is the dried whole "fruit" with it's casing and white pepper is just the seed. I think. Amazing really. Spices.
 
I think it was these that helped make black pepper popular (you too can enjoy the sophistication of an Italian restaurant in the comfort of your own home).

View attachment 191645
Common now, though. Peppercorns should be crushed with a giant pestle and mortar. See also the garlic press.

Also, that is far too short. You should be able to grind pepper over a person's cabonara from the other side of the room.
 
Common now, though. Peppercorns should be crushed with a giant pestle and mortar. See also the garlic press.

Also, that is far too short. You should be able to grind pepper over a person's cabonara from the other side of the room.
I'm talking about the early '70s. Domestic pepper mills were less well endowed than the ones used in restaurants :(
 
I'm talking about the early '70s. Domestic pepper mills were less well endowed than the ones used in restaurants :(
There's definitely been an arms race in pepper mill length over the decades. I now have one at home that is about a foot long , a size that was once the preserve of Italian restaurants. But I was in an Italian restaurant earlier this year, when the waiter pulled out a beast that was at least 1 metre long. He was very pleased with it. I was weirdly impressed.
 
Hate all that tacky faux pretentious waiter springing up behind you to put black pepper on some over priced pasta thing that you get at Italian restaurants .
 
.. and the fact they’ve never give you enough unless you make them stand there- grinding away for ages whilst the whole table observes- it’s infuriating !
 
.. and the fact they’ve never give you enough unless you make them stand there- grinding away for ages whilst the whole table observes- it’s infuriating !
.....also....I don't know whether I want any pepper until I've tasted it and then I would want to put some on and taste it again. I might want some more later on. Just leave the damned pepper on the table :mad:
 
I think it was these that helped make black pepper popular (you too can enjoy the sophistication of an Italian restaurant in the comfort of your own home).

View attachment 191645

I suspect the main preference for black pepper over white, is that it's easier to distinguish from salt when placed in adjacent unlabelled shakers (assuming most people are consistent with the 'more holes for pepper' rule, when in doubt) :hmm:
 
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