ZEN SPICE TRADERS
Welcome to the continuation of the blog series.
Zen Spice traders, I stumbled upon them a year ago and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their products. A lover of all spices, Zen spice traders is changing the game for flavor, one small peppercorn at a time. Did you know there is more to pepper than the normal black ones, you typically find at the store? I now understand why good restaurants ask if we want freshy grated pepper topped off, to really enhance the dish.
Using sustainable, natural and organic practices, this family owned company has been producing peppercorn for generations.
Please introduce yourself and your credentials with Zen spice traders.
My name is Chance Riley, and I am a co-founder of Zen Spice Traders. I operate the company alongside my father, Pete.
Give us a brief history of Zen spice traders and how it was formed.
It all started in the fall of 1966 when my father’s family moved across the world from suburban Chicago to Bangkok, Thailand. My dad and his siblings were young kids at the time, so they really grew up in Thailand and planted roots there, experiencing the deep flavors and traditions of southeast Asian food. They are all “foodies” and to this day, continue to immerse themselves in the wonderful flavors of that part of the world. A good chunk of the Riley family still lives there today, helping Zen provide the finest products to our customers. It’s been more than 50 years since my dad and his family first stepped foot in Thailand, and yet we believe there’s no better time to bring these age-old Asian treasures to our customers. Over the years, we found so many things to love about southeast Asia and the various cultures that call the region home. One of those things was the beauty of its spices. In 2018, we decided to put our familial resources to use, and bring these beautiful spices back to the US. And that’s been the mission ever since – to take your taste buds on an adventure! Behind each and every Zen product is 50+ years of family legacy and reputation.
Most of us didn’t know there are so many peppercorns, what is the difference in taste and color?
Pepper is grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand as well as the west coast of India, known as Malabar, where it is thought to have originated. Zen Spice Traders focuses on pepper grown in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand due to the wonderful flavors provided in the pepper from those areas. All peppercorns (piper nigrum) come from the same type of plant; a flowering vine. Many people think that black, red and white pepper are different species, but the fact is that they all come from the same plant. Fully ripe berries picked from a pepper vine are a deep red. Once dried, these red berries are marketed as red peppercorns. Picked earlier (just before turning red), they are washed and sun-dried, after which they are packaged as black peppercorns. The white peppercorn is actually the seed of the red peppercorn. Once the wrinkly skin of the red peppercorn is stripped away, there remains a white “seed”. This is one of the reasons why you don’t see white peppercorns with wrinkly skin, like you do on black or red peppercorns. Other types of pepper (Sichuan, for example) are not really peppercorns at all. Sichuan peppercorns are actually dried seeds from the Prickly Ash tree that have been ground to use as a spice in many Chinese dishes. When it comes to flavor, black pepper typically is more pungent and carries more spiciness than red or white. Red peppercorns have a milder and more finished taste than black pepper, and the white peppercorn is very similar in taste and pungency as red, but the spiciness carries through more readily than red. White pepper is used primarily in recipes where you may not (visually) prefer little red (or black) specks of pepper in the dish. That’s one reason why you see ground white pepper used in many clear broth soups as well as seafood dishes. While red peppercorns are used widely in fine cooking, white pepper provides a wonderful finish to egg and vegetable side dishes.
How long does it take to harvest a peppercorn from start to finish?
Typically, the peppercorns are harvested in February of each year. In Thailand, there is another smaller harvest that occurs in October. A thorough wash is followed by 2-3 days of drying in the sun, then they are hand-sorted by size. Smaller peppercorns are thought to carry more flavor than their larger counterparts. From berry on the plant to black peppercorn ready to package takes about a week. For white peppercorns it takes an additional week for soaking, fermentation, rinsing and another drying. For unique products like the salted Kampot, it takes an additional 2-3 weeks as they are picked early and allowed to ferment in salt, which leaches out the liquid of the immature berry.
Does the pepper lose its flavor if it’s ground?
We’re quite biased when it comes to pepper freshness and flavor, and we firmly believe that pre-ground pepper purchased in the ubiquitous cans and shakers is a true gastronomic tragedy. Why start with this beautiful and fragrant peppercorn, only to end up with a flavorless shell of the original product that too many people accept as satisfactory? Freshly grinding pepper at the last possible moment is the key to maintaining as much of its complex flavor as possible. Anything less is simply a disservice to the spice. We’ve found that once you really experience world-class freshly ground pepper, it’s impossible to go back to the pre-packaged supermarket variety.
Walk us through the production process of creating a peppercorn spice bag.
We source our peppercorns from Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. All of the farms we source from produce sustainable, organic peppercorns. Some chefs, including the late Anthony Bourdain and the Michelin-starred French chef Olivier Roellinger, have been drawn to pepper produced in Cambodia, specifically in the province of Kampot. That’s where a near-ideal combination of sea, soil and climate produces a very aromatic and nuanced spice. Many French restaurants pride themselves in using Kampot pepper in their cooking, and it is known throughout the food world as perhaps the world’s finest. In addition to sourcing from Kampot for black, red and white peppercorns, we reach to the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc, located just off the southern tip of Cambodia, west of Kampot. Due to the island’s climate, mineral-rich soil, abundant sunshine and proximity to the ocean, the pepper here is very close to that grown in nearby Cambodia. In Thailand, we source from a single small family farm located in the province of Chanthaburi, located on a very similar latitude and climate closely rivaling that of Kampot. The farm has been family owned for over 100 years. Every peppercorn is processed by hand, just like their family has done for ages. They are strong proponents and practitioners of natural and organic farming methods. They currently produce only black pepper, and the flavor profile has been known to equal that from the Kampot region of Cambodia. After our partner farms harvest the peppercorns from the vine, they are laid out under the open sky and sun-dried. Once the drying process is complete, the peppercorns are separated by size and filtered to remove any impurities or “duds.” The general rule is — the smaller the peppercorn, the better the quality. It is this top-quality batch that we ship stateside to our distribution site, where we hand pack (in biodegradable bags) and ship all of our orders from our Colorado location.
Do you follow any organic, sustainable farming/production practices? If yes, please explain.
As mentioned above, all of the farms we source from produce peppercorns through sustainable and organic processes. The only exception is when those peppercorns are enhanced through cold-smoking (our Kampot Smoked Black Peppercorns) or salting (our Salted Kampot Peppercorns), which is also done by the same farms that grow and harvest the product. Our Kampot, Cambodia source is also Fair Trade compliant and works hard to help local pepper farmers. Since 2019, our Kampot source has been working alongside small farmers because of the quality of their products and their expertise in pepper cultivation over several generations. They guarantee the purchase of these small farm’s production at a fair price, helping to improve their living conditions and maintain their production. Their program is an integral part of their fair trade WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) certification.
Do you recommend using certain peppercorns during the cooking process, or as a garnish on top?
Using freshly cracked pepper provides a wonderful finish for soups, stews, stir fry or grilled proteins. While many recipes call for cooking with ground pepper, we highly recommend using a portion of what those recipes call for, and then finishing the dish with freshly ground pepper. It provides a much better flavor profile, and enhances the dish. Freshly cracked black pepper is a great finish for grilled or roasted squash, red pepper provides an awesome finish for a stir-fried tofu or seafood, and white is wonderful in clear broth, soups, or egg dishes. A way to determine which pepper works best with your palate is to conduct a “pepper-tasting”. Much like a wine-tasting, pepper-tasting uses a base product (think cheese with wine), but in this case we recommend using sticky or plain rice or a nice hard-crust bread. Try it out! Below are the steps for conducting a pepper-tasting:
– Observe the size and color of the peppercorns; consistent size and color = higher quality
– Prepare fresh white rice or white bread (cut into small cubes)
– Grind the pepper to your desired consistency just before tasting
– Dip the rice ball or bread into the pepper and taste for acidity, heat and flavor notes
– Cleanse the palate in between tastings with a piece of bread or rice ball and a sip of water and allow time for each pepper taste to subside before moving to the next tasting
Every person’s palate is a bit different, and your preferred pepper may be unique when compared to others. Change it up with different grind size and quantity.
Anything else that you would like to add, that cannot be found on the website?
While we are currently updating and enhancing our website, there is a lot of great information there to include recipes, a primer on peppercorns, and some history. The best place to find our products is on Amazon or Etsy. Just search for Zen Spice Traders. In addition to a new crop recently received, we’re extremely excited about some of our latest releases — Smoked and Salted Kampot. They’re both great on your fresh vegetable and protein dishes. Make the mundane sublime by enhancing the flavors of your food with fresh, world-class spices!
TRAINA FOODS
Welcome to the first of the blog series.
I was so excited to recently be introduced to Traina foods and assimilate all about their healthy products. Inspired by eating raw, Traina offers a variety of natural, organic, preservative free, wholesome dried fruits and sun-dried tomatoes. A family-owned company, grown in California, Traina practices organic farming, zero food waste and sustainable solar energy.
I couldn’t wait to get my product of figs, dates, apricots, cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes and so much more to create some magic in the kitchen. Stay tuned for the full recipe of flat-breads, Jam, Pasta and so much more, using Traina food ingredients.
With my inside connection, I was able to do a short interview to learn more about this company and appreciate all the hard work that goes into creating these scrumptious products. Check out my interview below:
Please walk us through the process of creating a dried fruit product from start to end.
Traina Foods is a family-owned and operated business that grows, drys, produces, and packages dried fruit since 1926. There are many steps involved in bringing our high-quality dried fruit products to people’s homes and businesses safely. Our film will help explain best here: https://youtu.be/3lr0okjBRK8
Is there an expiry date for Traina’s dried food products?
One year, refrigerated.
How does Traina incorporate sustainable practices and farming?
Traina Foods is committed to using environmentally friendly practices at our orchards, farm, dry yard, and Plant Facilities. – We incorporate water-efficient drip irrigation, we sun dry our fruit using only the natural sun, we utilize solar energy to help run our machinery at our Plant, and have a layered upcycling program, so we achieve zero food waste.
What is your most popular product?
We have several favorites such as – California Sun-Dried Apricots, California Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil, California Peaches, California Ruby Royal Sun Dried Apricots, and Natural California Sun Dried Cherries.
Are all Traina products nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian?
Traina Foods is focused on food safety. Our products are produced and packaged in our 100% dedicated nut-free facility.
All of our sun dried fruits are naturally gluten-free.
Our dried fruit provides a host of nutrients, vitamins, and fiber and complements various diet plans, including the Mediterranean, vegan, and vegetarian.
Any last words about Traina?
Traina’s farms are located in the San Joaquin Valley, which is the fertile growing area of California. We manage the entire cycle of the fruit from our orchards to our crops; I guess you could say we are an original farm to fork business. Quality and flavor are essential, and that is why professional chefs, food companies, and home foodies rely on us for quality ingredients.
To support and purchase Traina products go to www.trainafoods.com. Follow them on social media @trainafoods.
Follow me @food_e_scape and let me know your thoughts on this blog.
