The Pepper Mill Chronicles
There are a few material objects that I am prone to collecting in this life: books, music, old foreign films. And apparently, pepper mills…I recently discovered that I own five grinders and two shakers while organizing my superfluously-supplied kitchen. How so many came into my possession is purely a matter of happenstance.
What does it all mean?! Either I’m trying to achieve a virtual Pepper Mill Antiques Roadshow in my house or perhaps I just regard freshly ground pepper with a fervent respect. I’ve always had a mill in my knife bag for work, and I can’t remember the last time I bought pre-ground. Truly, the difference in taste and aroma between pre-ground and fresh is worlds apart. Another advantage with the mill is that the coarseness of the grind can be controlled by adjusting the looseness of the metal knob on top. Fine grind or poivre mignonette? Your choice. And simply, there’s some inexplicable, visceral appeal to the auditory sense: one can actually hear the little spice balls being broken up into fiery bits of heat as one twists the mill. Its awesome! That’s right, I’m a peppercorn geek…
As it turns out, each pepper mill and shaker carries sentimental value, each a chronicle of different periods in my life. That may stink of cheese, but its the plain truth. I’m the type of person who prefers to dispose of things I hardly use, having led a somewhat nomadic existence for the past decade. But for these, I’m willing to make an exception.
Vol. 1: One of the few remnants of my childhood. They were used for fancy occasions, like Thanksgiving and huge, epic dinners with family friends.
Vol. 2: The most important pepper mill, the one I use daily. Given to me as a teenager by my mom who taught me the importance of food and cooking in the first place.
Vols. 3,4,5: Various Peugeot mills. The first, I bought for my first job as a cook, the second given to me as a gift from a former Sous Chef, the third given to me by a dear friend. I used to have one more, smaller than the first Peugeot, which I received in Scotland from a gentleman from Birmingham. Gave that one to a pepper mill-less friend.
Vol. 6: These cute little handmade German shakers were a gift from my mother-in-law several years ago. My name is painted on one of the hens. Ba-kaw!
Vol. 7: My husband picked these up when I was hunting for some Le Creuset deals. At the present we have no dining room table to put them on, so these shakers represent a promise for the future. (Although of course, I will have a real mill at the table as well!)
Disclaimer: I was not paid to feature any of the brands named in this post.
6 comments
really love that last photo. great silhouettes
Meg Kat: Thanks! Its one of the few photos I just got really lucky with.
I agree, that last photo is a stunner (pepper mill parade). I also love the overhead shot of the Peugeot P.
Just found your site—so glad I did!
Tea: Thank you, it was all luck with those photos! I look forward to checking out your blog!
I have a similar obsession with fresh cracked black pepper… preferably “poivre mignonette” (a new term for me… thanks). It turns out I also apparently have a pepper mill collecting habit! I am sporting about 5 right now, but I hardly ever use more than 2 of them. My main pepper mill is similar to the tall Peugeot you have there, but it has the design (color and shape) of the shorter one on the left. god I love pepper. maybe I’ll start putting specific peppercorns in each one…
speaking of which, do you have any wisdom to impart about kinds of (black) peppercorns? Tellicherry is about the extent of my knowledge.
Talley: Unfortunately, I don’t know much more about black peppercorn varieties than you do, sorry to say. (Something will have to be done about that, a visit to the Asian market seems to be in order…)
I did peruse some books however, and the only helpful/interesting thing I found was from The Encyclopedia of Herbs, where it says that there is a type of Singaporean black pepper which is incredibly aromatic due to how its processed. According to author Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, those particular berries are dried on mats over smoking herb fires. You may want to check out this as well. Other than that, I did not find much else. Maybe its time for a black peppercorn tasting?
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