-L. wrote:
> I have a recipe for Gingerbread that includes black pepper. I have
> never attempted gingerbread before - does pepper really add a
> *palatable* dimension to the flavor? It sounds intriguing, but
> frankly, I'm scared.

Don't be. It's only a batch of gingerbread, not world peace. If you
don't like it, the birds will. They don't sense "hot" in foods and will
be particularly hungry this time of year.

Gingerbread goes back to medieval cookery where spicing was generally
more emphatic than it is today. Through the passing eras, gingerbread
has had many things added and subtracted, pepper is one of the perennial
ingredients. The pepper adds a tiny bite, but the ginger adds more. The
pepper adds a subtle perfume, a good food smell.

Note the name, gingerBREAD - the original recipe. It has come to be two
distinctly different things nowadays. It's a hard, crisp cookie and a
caky, almost bready, sweetened and spiced quickbread. Either benefits
from a bit of pepper.

Pastorio