I have wondered about the pairing before, since pepper is just another spice, whereas salt is (literally) vital. I guess the pepper establishment has gotten to me though - I add pepper to everything, even more than salt.

Having said that, I do love pepper as a spice. It has a more subtle flavour than a lot of the others - I wouldn't add anything else to my mashed potato, the flavour would get destroyed.

I'm so used to just throwing it on everything, I'm not sure I'd know when or when not to use it. Any suggestions for commonly-peppered dishes that would work better with a different spice?

Agreed! I've never been a big fan of black pepper, and very rarely ever add it to a dish. Sometimes I'll even substitute white pepper in!

For hundreds of years, Anglo and European palates have been getting accustomed to it, so it'll be an uphill battle not about changing minds but about changing preferences.... So good luck with that, Goode.

I don't always add black pepper, but there's most likely some sort of pepper in my dishes- if not black, than chili powder or red pepper flakes. I like it spicy, I guess :)

i'm not a huge fan of pepper, so i'm all for this plan to separate!

It has sometimes been a battle when cooking with family and pepper is automatic addition. I have always viewed it as a stand alone spice. Sometimes you need it to enhance a flavor profile, sometimes you don't. Thank you for putting perspective on the matter.

I haven't used pepper in years because my husband is allergic to it. He has gout, which is can be triggered by stress, alcohol, and various things in his diet such as black pepper. He can easily avoid alcohol and can manage stress, but black pepper is so widely used that it severely limits our ability to eat out - even at the homes of family and friends.

Black pepper is one of the major triggers to horrendous swelling and pain for him. White, pink and cayenne are lesser, but still potent, triggers. The pain and swelling can cripple him for days. Once the reaction starts only heavy-duty steroid medications such as prednesone can offer any relief whatsoever and those meds carry significant risks of their own.

Therefore, there are not many restaurants, fast food places, or even other homes where he can safely eat. People don't take the allergy seriously. My own mother would scoff at it and feed him pepper whenever we visited. Not wanting to create a scene or hurt her feelings, he'd eat her food, but we'd have to leave shortly after a meal and I'd have to drive us home because the reaction would begin within a short time after ingestion.

We realize that this allergic response is extreme, but I noticed I started feeling better after I stopped consuming it as well. A few years ago, I came across a study from Europe that suggested pepper could be a carcinogenic. I certainly hope that is not possible because pepper is so widely and thoughtlessly included in almost every dish.

Over the years, the doctors who have treated him suggest the following as possible reasons for the widespread, unquestioning use of black pepper:

1. It's pungency can mask the flavor of meats that have gone off. This was important in times before dependable refrigeration.
2. The body seems to become addicted to allergic triggers. Although seemingly counter-intuitive, haven't we all met people who crave that which causes problems for them? In the case of pepper, it could simply be habit - a recollection of tastes one has become accustomed to - memories from childhood, etc.
3. Marketers for the pepper industry may have suppressed negative studies regarding the impact of pepper upon our health.
4. We haven't been adventuresome enough to try alternative herbs and spices, that may actually be better for us and may pair with our foods much better. It takes a certain confidence and entails a certain risk to try new things - particularly when your good budget may be limited, tastes may be engrained through habit or memory, or so many processed foods contain a trigger such as black pepper that it is difficult to change our expectations of how a dish should taste.

There may be many other variables, but for us, at least, the swelling, pain and joint damage is enough for us to stay away from it.

That is not to say that I don't have tasty childhood memories of eating pork chops blackened with pepper, but, upon reflection, I wonder how much of that memory was colored by the love for the person who made them.

Taste is a complicated issue with many psychological threads woven into it.

I am just relieved that, by making simple choices to exclude and avoid black pepper whenever we can, my husband can enjoy eating again.

I have had to educate myself as to which foods are processed using pepper (bye-bye corned beef), and I have to read every label carefully - even those I come to deem as "safe," because formulas change and all too often black pepper is hidden amongst categories such as "spices." When in doubt, I simply avoid.

Penzey's carefully lists all the ingredients in its herb and spice mixtures so I can use many of their mixtures without fear. Only a few of their products include pepper under the generic category of "spices," and I can easily avoid those that do list it as an ingredient. I know of no other manufacturer I can trust as reliably as Penzey's.

Thank you for the this article. I hope it raises awareness that black pepper usage should be a conscious decision, not a blind and thoughtless habit.

I met a crazy old lady at a farmers market, she claims to never eat pepper because it killed her brother. When they did the autopsy she claims they found some organ or another in his body bursting with pepper. I knew she was batty (she said several other things that were beyond normal), but she sounded so certain and since then I have been leary about adding pepper.

Hmmmm, I use pepper in SO MUCH. Maybe it was how I was raised, but there are so many dishes I feel benefit from the addition of pepper. Pepper adds spice without completely changing the flavor profile of the dish. I keep my little pepper mill around for dishes such as,
Eggs.
Cooked Leafy greens.
Anything involving land animals.
Squash.
Baked Potatoes.
Everything but dessert.

My pepper mill broke a few weeks ago. I've got a mortar and pestle, so I can just mash up some peppercorns when needed, but it's enough of an extra step that it has stopped me from just adding it without thinking.

From what I understand, pepper has become a standard for "seasoning" because its mild heat kicks up the flavor in most dishes in a different way that salt does. As with salt, you shouldn't taste pepper if a dish is seasoned well. You could replace pepper with other kickers, but its role shouldn't be ignored. Try lemon or cayenne to do the job if you need a change.

Oh no! I love both salt and pepper! Usually the more the better, Penzey's keeps me stocked with all kinds, and we're even serious about pepper mills in this house. My brother-in-law could practically empty his own pepper mill in one sitting if he took the time to do so, waiters in restaurants always raise their eyebrows when he tells them to keep grinding.

Honestly, I think I treat pepper the same way I treat most spices in my cabinet - the thing is, I tend to toss in lots of herbs and spices into anything I'm making, when I'm not not following a specific recipe. Several of the spices in my cabinet tend to go well together, so I just toss in a pinch or a sprinkle, if I think it'l add to the flavor - I think of pepper in the samme way - it's just that there's very little I make where I don't think a touch of pepper (and salt) adds to it.

Actually, having a parent who is supposed to be controlling her salt intake, and often having my salt needs taken care of by items like cheese, I think I decide to throw in pepper more often than throwing in some salt!

Hmm, interesting...as I'd never heard that adage so had never felt obliged to follow it! Not sure where I've been but I didn't know this was some kind of golden kitchen rule. I certainly S&P together in a great percentage of my cooking but I'm just as likely to season with salt and other spices that aren't black pepper too. Guess I agree.

I kinda agree I think we should get rid oh the twins, the salt and pepper shakers. We should all move to Sea salt or kosher salt in Cellars and Peppercorns in Pepper Grinders. Sea or Kosher salt tastes so much better and freshly crushed Pepper brings so much better flavor also. Also taking the steps to grind pepper slows you down and makes it less auto pilot to add both salt and pepper to your dishes. If you find you don't need the pepper you have slowed down enough to realize that.

I am in LOVE with black pepper. It's my favorite spice. I literally pour it into soups, stews, gravies, casseroles. Oh, yum.

My grandfather and mother both developed an intolerance to it in their 50s, and I'll probably follow in those footsteps - so I've got to eat as much of it as I can, while I still can!

Don't listen to that nonsense about kicking black pepper out of the spice rack. Listen to this nonsense about how it increases the nutritional value of your food. http://blog.lifehacker.com/5391878/eat-more-black-pepper-to-increase-your-foods-nutritional-value

not necessarily black pepper, but there is usually some sort of pepper in all of my meals -- rarely black though; i'm more of a chili or crushed red fan, myself.

Ah, I love Goode's challenge! There are many times when I add in paprika or another pepper and leave out the black pepper. I buy, and love, those handy pre-filled salt and pepper grinders but I go through my salt one so quickly. My pepper one lasts months and months. Sometimes I feel bad, like maybe my pepper knows it doesn't get as much kitchen love? But with such a strong presence, sometimes pepper and I just need a break.

Plus, who says black pepper is the only pepper? I say we take this challenge once step further and spend more time playing with the different peppercorns - black, white, pink. Different flavors make for different dishes!

All the talk about salt being a flavor enhancer while true is sort of misleading by omission. Anything that works primarily on taste is going to be a flavor enhancer. Salt just happens to be the most common and that could also be the reason why it's paired so often with pepper, because it's the most common as well.

While I don't use pepper in everything since I didn't grow up "salt and pepper to taste" or "salt to taste", I do often pair a taste with a smell more often than not.

I absolutely hate black pepper, no matter what, it manages to hit the back of my throat and make me cough! I don't like many pre-mixed seasonings/rubs/whatever because the pepper flavor is too prominent, and never understood why people would add it to their salad or soup or whatnot at restaurants. It's just much too strong for me, and I'd rather use herbs and a little (tiny bit) of salt to season.

But seriously, blech, who decided pepper was a staple?!?!

I hate pepper too - my college used it to mask the taste of spoiled food, which led to many bouts of pepper-flavored food poisoning. I guess I just have a taste aversion now.
Siracha, on the other hand....

@ks sunflower. I'd let him stay at your mother's an get ill all over her rug not to mention moaning in pain for a few days, I'll bet that would be the last time she decided to feed someone with an allergy the item she was asked to leave out because she thinks they're just being difficult.

I worked in a restaurant kitchen for years where we hardly put black pepper on anything. The only thing I can remember using it in while working there is gingersnaps.

I tend to use it much more sparingly than I did before then.

I also feel like people use GARLIC in things far, far too much. The chef at that same place was allergic to garlic, so we barely used it. Contrary to what Emeril and FoodTV might have you believe, you don't need to put garlic in everything. It's like you build up a tolerance.

Not trying to be a smart ass here (I agree with the post!), but Hungarians use paprika almost as often black pepper is used here; it's common to find only salt and paprika on the table.

I'd rather reduce salt consumption further than my pepper consumption. Husband and I go through probably a pound of black pepper every few months.

I use salt, pepper, and garlic on everything. The pepper can be any variety besides black and the garlic can be powder or fresh. I think every dish needs all three.

my mother and I are allergic to black pepper - and since it is always on the table it would be nice if it wasn't added needlessly to things like say, french fries.

I'm fortunate in that my wife hates the taste (even the smell) of black pepper as much as I. Unfortunately that does mean we have to ask just about every restaurant we visit not to add it to our dishes.

I absolutely hate the smell and taste of black pepper! If someone around me puts pepper on their food it can ruin my appetite...of course I keep that to myself. I'm all about separating the pair!

We don't add cumin or paprika to every single dish, so why should we add pepper?
I know someone who puts taco seasoning in everything.

As far as pepper goes, I much prefer grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta). It has a peppery bite to it, but with hints of cardamom and a beautifully exotic floral overtone.

I love black pepper! It goes on just about everything. When I make corn it is gray from all the pepper. My mother was anti-seasoning growing up and now it is liberating to be able to spice food as much as I like.