[Sca-cooks] How long does pepper retain its potency?

Terry Decker t.d.decker at att.net
Mon Jun 20 15:21:59 PDT 2011


I suspect a cask would develope air leaks over several centuries leaving the 
contents extremely diminished.  The ground pepper would probably still make 
people sneeze the way dust does.  You don't need piperine to trigger a 
sneeze.  Odor minimal at best would be my guest.  If you want some kind of 
potency to last over time, seal the pepper air-tight in a glass or ceramic 
jar, keep cool, and keep out of direct sunlight.

Bear

> This is for a silly bit of fiction, so no urgency. . .
>
> Would a well-sealed cask of black peppercorns retain any potency after
> 5 or 6 centuries?  Would it still have an odor?  Make people sneeze?
> Or would it just be a pile of funny-shaped pebbles?
>
> It would be nice if it was still sneeze-worthy, but if not, I can
> write around that.
>
> Brighid ni Chiarain





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