Much loved by the Romans, even though it was hideously expensive – Gibbon tells us that Alaric the Goth demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of his ransom for Rome in the 5th century. Pepper is ubiquitous worldwide now, and if there is a downside to its mass popularity, it is that people forget its true spice status and tend to overlook making it a star player in its own right…

So says Allegra McEvedy in Leon’s Ingredients & Recipes. And she’s right. All too often the only time pepper makes as appearance in a recipe is at the end when the cook is called to add a little salt and pepper to taste in order to ‘finish off’ their dish.

But pepper is a wonderful spice – tasty, fruity, warming, vibrant and even fiery – depending on which type you use and how much – and deserves to be celebrated in its own right. So that is our mission this month, to put the humble peppercorn on a pedestal all of its own and show just what this much-neglected spice can do!

Whether it’s black, white, green or pink (although technically pink peppercorns are a completely different species entirely but we’ll ignore that fact for the benefit of this challenge), I can’t wait to see how you incorporate peppercorns into your cooking and make them star of the show.

How to enter The Spice Trail

• Display the The Spice Trail badge (above and also available here) on your recipe post, and link back to this challenge post.
• Up to three recipe links accepted per blogger, so long as each one feature’s this month’s spice, peppercorns, as a central ingredient.
• Feel free to link up recipe posts from your archive, but please add the information about this challenge to the post and The Spice Trail badge.
• Send your recipe URL to me at vanesther-at-reescommunications-dot-co-dot-uk, including your own email address and the title of your recipe or post. The closing date this month is Sunday 30 November 2014.
• If you tweet your post, please mention #TheSpiceTrail and me @BangerMashChat in your tweet and I’ll retweet each one I see.
• As entries come in, links to these will be added to the bottom of this page.
• At the end of the month, the winner will be announced in a round-up of all the entries.
• Entries from bloggers all around the world are accepted.
• All entries will be added to The Spice Trail Pinterest Board.

I look forward to seeing your entries, and keep an eye out for the round-up of October’s Pickles & Preserves challenge – coming very soon!

November’s entries

1. Mulled Grape Juice from Eat Like You Love Yourself
2. Spiced Shortbread from Eat Like You Love Yourself
3. Schezwan Idli and Sambar from Home Cook Food
4. Maple and Mustard Glazed Ham from Searching for Spice
5. Home-roasted Pumpkin Seeds from By the Way… By Nasifriet
6. Indian Potato Sliders from Home Cook Food
7. Black Pepper Chicken from Bangers & Mash
8. Braided Chilli Bread from By the Way… By Nasifriet
9. Tuscan Panforte Biscotti from The Lass In The Apron
10. Salt and Pepper Chocolate Truffles from Bangers & Mash
11. Cambodian Green Peppercorn Prawns from Lapin d’Or & More
12. Sprouts with Lemon & Black Pepper from Eat Like You Love Yourself