I was introduced to cubeb pepper yesterday.

Looks a little like black pepper, except it has a sort of membrane around it and remains attached to a bit of stalk (apparently an alternative name is tailed pepper for this reason).
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a single ingredient that had so many layers of pungent, aromatic flavours.

That I can still remember the intimate little journey that one cubeb pepper “corn” took me on just before I submitted myself to the sucker punch of an assault from a confidently filled betel leaf is testament to the culeb pepper’s thrilling uniqueness.