SPICES AND CONDIMENTS. 



18? 



The differences in the appearance of the peppers from various sources 

 is sufficiently marked to be readily noticed when samp les of each are 

 placed side by side, but otherwise it is almost impossible to identity 

 them. The best method of judging their quality and the one in use in 

 the trade is by weight. Malabar is considered the heaviest. Blyth 

 gives the following figures : 



100 peppercorns of Grams- 



Penang 6.2496 



Malabar 6.0536 



Sumatra 5. 1476 



Trevy 4.5736 



Tellicherry 4.5076 



Tellicherry is the Malabar or West Coast port, so that variations must 

 occur, as would be natural, in different samples. 

 We have found some samples to weigh 



The white pepper is of course the cleaner. 



ADULTERANTS. 



The common adulterants to be found in peppers are said to be flours 

 )r starches of cereals and potatoes, sago, mustard hu sk, linseed and 

 capsicum, pepper dust, sawdust, gypsum, and other odds and ends. 



Of the adulterations of pepper Blyth enumerates many, among them 

 the celebrated pepper dusts designated as " P. D.", " H. P. D. ? " and 

 11 W. P. D.," and known as pepper dust, composed of linseed cake ; hot- 

 pepper dust, composed of mustard husks chiefly, and white-pepper dust, 

 composed of ground rice. In this country the use of ground corn or rice, 

 mustard hulls, cocoanut shells, and other similar refuse is* very com- 

 mon, but whether they have been derived from goods sold asH. P. D. and 

 W. P. D." we were unable to ascertain. Other refuse is also frequently 

 found in cheap peppers, but sand does not seem to be as often added here 

 as abroad. We have found the white peppers much freer from adul- 

 teration than the black. It is learned from Dr. Ellis, of Toronto, that 

 roasted cocoanut shells are in common use now as an adulterant of all 

 spices, and are of course easily intr oduced into peppers. They have not 

 been found in the specimens which we have examined. Pepper husks, 



