Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
March,  i887.  J 
Poivrette. 
147 
Poivrette  is  a  pale,  slightly  buff,  or  cream-colored  powder,  resem- 
bling in  the  bulk  the  principal  middle  layers  of  the  pepper-berry, 
when  ground ;  and  when  mixed  with  pepper  cannot  be  distinguished 
by  the  eye,  nor  even  by  the  hand-lens,  from  particles  of  pepper.  In 
the  earlier  samples  the  coarser  particles  could  be  isolated  by  spreading 
the  pepper  on  a  stiff  sheet  of  paper  held  in  a  nearly,  but  not  quite 
horizontal  position  ;  on  tapping  this  with  the  finger  tips,  so  as  to  make 
the  larger  particles  jump  gradually  to  the  lower  edge  of  the  sheet,  the 
poivrette  particles  could  then  be  picked  out,  and  easily  distinguished 
from  pepper  by  crushing  them  between  the  teeth.  Recently,  however, 
it  has  been  so  finely  ground  and  sifted  that  it  cannot  always  be  partly 
separated  in  this  way,  although  the  toughness  and  hardness  of  the  par- 
ticles can  always  be  distinguished  by  the  teeth  in  a  mixture. 
Microscopic  examination,  with  a  ^th  or  Jth  objective,  shows  that  it 
consists  of  pale,  dense  ligneous  cells,  some  entire  and  marked  with 
linear  air  spaces,  some  torn  and  indistinct. 
The  following  letters  (which  afterwards  appeared  in  some  local 
newspapers)  indicate  the  country  from  which  it  comes  : — 
The  following  letter  from  Leghorn  has  been  received  by  a  local 
spice  house,  and  similar  letters  have  been  circulated  throughout  the 
country : — 
"  Livorno,  August  1,  1886. 
Dear  Sirs, — I  send  you  by  i his  post  two  samples  of  an  article 
called  c  pepperette  '  (white  and  black),  which  is  made  of  the  pulp  of  a 
fruit  growing  in  this  country,  which  has  the  power  of  retaining  the 
piquancy  of  pepper  when  it  has  been  mixed  with  the  same  in  the 
proper  proportion.  This  is  warranted  to  consist  of  this  purely  vegeta- 
ble substance,  and  to  contain  nothing  deleterious,  consequently  to  be 
in  no  way  detrimental  to  the  health.  The  price  is  £8  per  ton  of  1 000 
kilogrammes,  goods  delivered  c.i.f.  in  Liverpool,  packed  in  2  cwt.  bags; 
bags  free,  no  tare,  shipping  weight;  2}  per  cent,  discount  for  cash.  I 
export  my  pepperette  very  largely  all  over  the  Continent  and  to  Great 
Britain,  where,  on  account  of  its  cheapness,  it  is  used  very  much  for 
blending  pepper,  which  is  sold  as  "  prepared  pepper/'  or  "  pepper  not 
warranted  genuine/'  in  the  same  way  as  is  done  with  mustard,  or  with 
ground  coffee  and  chicory  (the  so-called  French  coffee).  If  so  desired, 
the  white  pepperette  can  be  had  much  lighter.  If  you  desire  any  ref- 
erences I  shall  be  happy  to  furnish  you  any  amount  in  England,  as 
well  as  on  the  Continent.  Yours  Truly 
