How much pepper/allspice to substitue for cubeb?
I have a recipe that calls for "12 cubebs, coarsely crushed". I've read that a blend of equal parts pepper and allspice can be substituted for a cubeb. However, having never seen a cubeb, I have no idea how big it is, so I don't know how much pepper and allspice to substitute. Additionally, I haven't been able to find any information about the volume of a cubeb or the volume of powder produced when crushing a cubeb online.
How much powder does a cubeb yield when crushed? Alternatively, how much black pepper and allspice should I substitute for 12 crushed cubebs?
Best Answer
12 whole cubebs, when I measured them, were a bit under a half teaspoon. When ground (a bit on the coarse side, admittedly), they were... also bit under a half teaspoon.
Cubebs are pretty light, and the fresh-ground spice, rather fluffy, but it gives you a starting point to measure from. For less-fluffy spices like black pepper, I wold suggest a very scant measurement (that is, nearly full but dipping under the rim of the measuring spoon just a bit), or a single pinch less.
I've found the taste fairly similar to pepper - enough, at least, a recipe will not likely fail from the difference, though Jude's suggestion sounds pretty good from a flavor standpoint.
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What can I use instead of cubeb pepper?
If you can't find cubeb berries substitute equal amounts of:- There is no single spice that has a similar flavor but a decent substitute is to use allspice berries. They're aromatic in a different way and considerably easier to find than the cubeb berries.
- OR - Alternately you could simply use black peppercorns.
Is cubeb and allspice the same?
The odor of cubeb is described as agreeable and aromatic and the taste as pungent, acrid, slightly bitter and persistent. It has been described as tasting like allspice, or like a cross between allspice and black pepper.Is cubeb the same as black pepper?
CUBEBS are the fruit of a tropical vine of the pepper family native to Java and other Indonesian islands. CONSISTS of the dried berries, similar in appearance to black pepper, but with stalks attached \u2013 the "tails" in "tailed pepper".What spice is cubeb?
Cubeb pepper, also referred to as Java pepper due to its Indonesian origin, has a mild peppery flavour with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Once baked, cubeb pepper loses its bitterness and takes on a more rounded flavour with hints of nutmeg and cardamom.🔵 All About Allspice - What Is Allspice - Glen And Friends Cooking
More answers regarding how much pepper/allspice to substitue for cubeb?
Answer 2
I don't think you'll find any two answers that agree from anyone that's used cubeb. All the more difficult as few people who heard of it and even fewer who've used it. The reason being that taste is subjective. I love the flavour Szechuan peppercorns give food. It's often been described as being both hot and numbing. I can feel its numbing effect but it's not at all hot to me and I'm very sensitive to the heat from capsicum peppers.
Cubeb peppercorns are roughly the size as black peppercorns but instead of being solid, they're more hollow. I've only seen them in photos (otherwise I'd buy some to try) so I don't know if an equal volume of both would be an equal weight, roughly. If I were to substitute, I'd err on black pepper weighing a little more.
As for cubeb having a taste similar to black pepper and allspice, I couldn't say. But Gernot Katzer doesn't think so. Cubeb pepper (Piper cubeba L.,11
some sources seem to confuse cubeb pepper with allspice, which looks somewhat similar. In its flavour, cubeb pepper differs much from these other spices.
Other sites mention a camphorous note to cubeb. Rosemary is a herb with a camphorous flavour and scent. Cubeb is also supposed to be bitter. Many people don't like bitterness in food but I think it enhances many foods. What would chocolate be like without it?
What I would do, though not necessarily you, is to use around 9 black peppercorns, 1/8 teaspoon of allspice and a few needles from fresh rosemary, crushed and very finely chopped to approximate 12 cubeb peppercorns.
Hopefully, someone here who's used cubeb before will read your question and answer you before you've made your recipe.
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