Whole White Peppercorns

[Piker]

A lot of recipes I see on here call for wwps but living in S. alberta they are hard to find. How much diff. are they than the black ones? Some of the recipes say use extra coriander seed instead of, which I have been doing. It is getting very hard to ship things to this country because of our govt red tape and the terrible shipping costs once it crosses the border. So what I am asking can I substitute black peppercorns instead? thks Dave

[Gizmo]

I do not have a developed palate to be able to explain this very well but will take a stab at it.  There is a slight difference in taste but in consideration of your situation, white or black, pepper is pepper.  Not much difference in heat but in my opinion, the white pepper tastes a little cleaner or should I say the black pepper has an earthy note to it compared to the white pepper.  Mostly you will see the white pepper called for in recipes with a light appearance where they don't want the discoloration from the black pepper.

[Habanero Smoker]

Gizmo is correct, about the appearance aspect, and black pepper can be substituted. White peppercorns are fully matured berries that come for the same plants as black pepper, but after being picked they are processed differently. The white peppercorns are first soaked in water, then processed so the outer hull is remove, thus giving them the white appearance. The outer hull have most of the heat, what is left is a pronounced pepper flavor without most of the heat. I often use white peppercorns in many of my brines, along with black peppercorns.

[manxman]

White peppercorns are fully matured berries that come for the same plants as black pepper, but after being picked they are processed differently. The white peppercorns are first soaked in water, then processed so the outer hull is remove, thus giving them the white appearance. The outer hull have most of the heat, what is left is a pronounced pepper flavor without most of the heat.

Well, you learn something every day!! Thanks H.S.  :)

[Oldman]

Perhaps it is just me. However, I taste a major difference between white and black pepper corns. I would never consider changing out white for black corns. IMO white corns are of a highwe flavor in the mouth while black are a more a bottom end taste.
Olds

[Piker]

Thks everybody I just thought it was an appearance thing like in white sauces etc. So if I come across some wwps I will buy them. If not no worry. Thkks again Dave

[La Quinta]

I have to agree with Olds...white pepper (and corns) taste totally different then black. I'm not really a big white pepper fan myself...but it's all a matter of taste.