You can find mountain pepper in our Australian Bush Food Garden at Green Olive at Red Hill.
Interesting Facts about Mountain Pepper
Mountain pepper, also known as pepperberry, is a shrub native to Tasmania and along the southern coast of Australia from Victoria to New South Wales. The plants can grow 2-10 metres high and have long, narrow leaves and red stems. Mountain prepper produces small, black berries that have a sweet taste and an intense, peppery aftertaste from which they get their name. Both the leaves and the berries are used in a variety of ways, including as spice. The leaves are dried and crushed and added to curries, pies, beef dishes and desserts. Australia also send mountain pepper spice to Japan which they use in wasabi!
Benefits of Mountain Pepper
Mountain pepper has been used medicinally since colonial times and boasts a number of benefits for our health and wellbeing. It is very high in antioxidants and has been used to improve digestion and treat digestive disorders. It was also used by European settlers to treat scurvy which many sailors got on their six month journey to Australia. Mountain pepper has also been used to prevent food from spoiling due to its anti-microbial properties.
Interested in learning more about Australian bush foods? We are developing a range of products and experiences that will allow you to feel, smell and taste bush tucker. In the meantime, check out our other bush tucker plants to learn about some of the other native Australian flora that we’ve planted: Strawberry Gum, Muntries and Bunya Bunya.
Pepperberries
Photo credit: Australian Seed
Mountain pepper flowers
Photo credit: Naturally Australian Products
Mountain pepper berries
Photo credit: Pepperberry.net.au
Banner photo credit: Xera Plants
Cover photo credit: The Australian Super Food Co.