Southeast Asia

Indonesian Cubeb / Kemukus

Piper cubeba.

Dried berry, with its characteristic small stalk.

Part Used

Dried whole berries.

Form

Kemukus (Indonesian) – the same species as South Asia's kabab chini.

Indonesia (Java, the plant's native range).

Peppery with a bitter, camphorous, slightly numbing edge.

Minor regional spice, more prominent in this species' native Java than in most other regional cooking.

Some Javanese preparations; historically significant in medieval European and Middle Eastern trade (including in ras el hanout).

Other regional whole spices in mixed preparations.

Add whole, lightly crushed, early in a simmered dish.

Whole berries keep well over a year sealed and dark.

Black pepper as a general stand-in.

Java is this plant's true native range.

Historically part of ras el hanout formulations.