Tellicherry pepper, the spice that Ina Garten always has on hand

Ina Garten advises her followers, both on her show Barefoot Contessa and in her recipes, to use top-quality ingredients, such as good olive oil. For black pepper, she prefers the Tellicherry variety, which she includes in dishes like her version of the classic cacio e pepe pasta, with its intense peppery flavor.

Tellicherry peppercorns from India are considered by many to be of the highest quality, prized for their milder heat and more complex flavor. They all come from the same tropical climbing plant, Piper nigrum, and are distinguished primarily by their size. They are the largest berries on the plant, measuring 4.25 millimeters or more, and the larger they are, the less spicy and more fragrant they are, with notes of citrus, wood, fruit, and pine. At the top of the range are the Special Extra Bold peppercorns, measuring 4.75 millimeters or more.

Black pepper is grown in tropical regions around the world, but it originated in Kerala, in southwest India, home to the port city of Thalassery. The name Tellicherry is the English form of Thalassery and can be used as long as the peppercorns are the right size, although the best are said to be grown on the Malabar Coast in Kerala.

Only about ten percent of black peppercorns reach that size, which is why they cost more. To get the most out of them, it's best to use them in dishes where pepper is the star, such as cacio e pepe, Anthony Bourdain's favorite pasta dish, or steak au poivre, with its pepper crust and creamy brandy pepper sauce.

Tellicherry also works well in marinades and dry seasonings for meats, where it forms a delicately flavorful crust. It can also be sprinkled over fresh fruit or vanilla ice cream. In any case, it's best to grind it just before using it and toast it if you want to bring out its full flavor, as heat influences the release of the spice's notes.