Ray Timur

Raye timur or timut pepper grows wild in large parts of the Himalayas and in the Indian Eastern Ghats. It is the berry of the Zanthoxylum armatum, a Szechuan pepper. The dark brown berry is sharp and has an unmistakable grapefruit aroma.

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This Szechuan pepper is called timur in Nepal and India, elsewhere also timut or Nepalese mountain pepper. The fruit has been collected for centuries by the indigenous population for medicinal use - among other things against flatulence. Nowadays the timur is increasingly picked for its softly pungent sharpness and the unmistakable citrus flavor, in this case grapefruit. or pomelo. The citrus flavor becomes stronger and sweeter when the pepper is heated - roasted.

The Zanthoxylum armatum on which this pepper berry grows is a shrub that is provided with poisonous thorns. The shrub bears small yellow flowers that develop into fruits that quickly turn pale red, and eventually dark red. The bunches of berries are harvested from the first week of October, until deep into November.

The Timur is found in the warmer valleys of the Himalayas at altitudes of 1000 to 2100 meters. It is one of the few spices that grow at such altitudes. The Raye Timur is mainly picked in the Bajura and Myagdi regions. It grows there in abundance, but the picking is small-scale. In India the species is threatened by excessive, uncontrolled picking, in Nepal this is not the case.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Characteristic of all Zanthoxylum peppers, and therefore also of the Szechuan pepper, is the tingling sensation you experience on the tip of your tongue due to a substance in the pepper called sanshool, named after the Japanese sanshō. The pungency is caused by the amides in the peel of the fruit: α-, β-, γ- and δ-sanshool, α hidroxy sanshool and β-hidroxy sanshool. The numbing effect is mainly caused by γ sanshool and α hidroxy sanshool. The amount of α-hidroxy-sanshool in the berries can amount to (well over) 50 ‰ of the dry weight, of γ sanshool around 5‰.

The tingling is accompanied by a slight numbness, jokingly compared to tasting a 9 volt battery. A single berry is enough to experience that! This somatosensation, stimulation by touch, has been used for centuries as an anaesthetic in traditional medicine in Asia. The effect is very complex and the subject of extensive studies. Hydroxy-α-sanshol in particular is said to cause the tingling, and there are certain parallels with the sharpness experience of capsaicin, the sharp substance in chili pepper, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Smell and taste

In Raye timur the scent of grapefruit is prominent, even to the extent that you have to be careful with the dosage. This is just a selection from the wide taste palette:

• D-limonene* (dipentene), sweet orange flavor, found in modest amounts in nutmeg, mace and cardamom,
• linalool *, responsible for the fresh floral scent
• methyl cinnamate *, the taste of strawberry, but the smell balsamic,
• β-pinene, woody pine odor, as in cumin, pine (cone), juniper and hemp,
  
• myrcene, as in bay leaf and cloves
• sabinene, responsible for the woody, camphor-like taste of black pepper, among other things
• carvotan acetone, also minty, as in angelica,
• the bitter terpinol*, - mainly found in the seeds - as in cranberries.

The oils marked with a star are dominant in aroma and flavor. Feel free to combine Timur with any of the spices mentioned above, and in general with products that go well with citrus such as shellfish and shellfish, white fish, salmon, white butter sauces, veal, pork and duck. It can be eaten raw and added at the last moment, and is delicious in vegetable salads and in desserts or with fruit.

Usage

Crush the fruit, which will release the seeds. These are easier to grind than the seed pods, which are best ground. Just like the whole berries (with seeds).

In the cuisines of Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan, timur is used in chutneys and pickles, among other things.  Famous dishes from Nepalese cuisine that use timur are momo (a dumpling) and thupka (a noodle soup. In Indian cuisine, timur is sometimes called the 'mirchi berry', it could be. Mirchi is the  Hindi name for all types of pepper, from black pepper  to chili peppers Bhut Jolokia and Naga Jolokia (raja mirch). The pepper is used in a nutritious winter soup called hag and in chutneys such as dunkcha.

Features:

• 100% berries of the Zanthoxylum armatum
• wild harvest, hand picked
• origin: Bajura and Myagdi regions, Nepal

Assortment

• available in glass, stand-up pouch and test tube
• glass jar contains 30 grams
• stand-up pouches with a capacity of up to 30 to 300 grams
• available in 10 ml test tube
• larger quantities on request

Gift wrapping

• The jar is available in a tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section

General advice

• Raye timur is just like  Mac Khen and Ma Khaen a versatile Szechuan pepper, can be used both raw and roasted. The difference? Raye timur tastes like grapefruit,  Mac Khen and Ma Khaen after orange peel.

Save:

• keep your raye timur in a closed container
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• at least good until December 2027 (12/27)
• This expiration date is an indication

Want to know what Raye timur tastes like?