Tasmannia stipitata

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Dorrigo Pepper
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Canellales
Family: Winteraceae
Genus: Tasmannia
Species: T. stipitata
Binomial name
Tasmannia stipitata
(Vick.) A.C. Smith

Tasmannia stipitata, Dorrigo Pepper or Northern Pepperbush is a rainforest shrub of temperate forests of the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Leaves are fragrant, narrow-lanceolate to narrow-elliptic, 8-13 cm long. Dark bluish to mauve berries follow the flowers on female shrubs. The species is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.

[edit] Culinary use

The culinary qualities of T. stipitata were recognized in the mid-1980s by horticulturist, Peter Hardwick, who gave it the name 'Dorrigo pepper', and Jean-Paul Bruneteau, then chef at Rowntrees Restaurant, Sydney. It is mainly wild harvested from the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Dorrigo pepper has a woody peppery note in the leaves and fruit/seed. The hot peppery flavor is derived from polygodial, an essential oil component. Dorrigo pepper is also naturally free of safrole (a banned toxin), unlike some other Tasmannia species.

[edit] References