# White Pepper and Chinese Restaurants

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 31, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906 "2003-12-31T06:11:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906/1 "2003-12-31T06:11:01Z")

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What’s up with that!?

The stuff stinks.

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**Author:** ![krisolov](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krisolov/32/3724_2.png) [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906/2 "2003-12-31T13:06:02Z")

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It’s the same thing as black pepper, but with the outer husk removed. It’s really just to avoid having unsightly black bits in dishes where it would detract from the appearance.

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**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906/3 "2003-12-31T19:58:32Z")

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I have read that in a cook book, but I ain’t buying it.  
When I say the stuff stinks, I mean, it, smells, bad!!!  
Also  
The only restaurants where I have ever noticed it, on the table, is Chinese???

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**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906/4 "2003-12-31T20:50:17Z")

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It tastes quite a bit different. Indispensable for hot and sour soup.

I see it in Viet restaurants too. There it is the result of the French occupation of Vietnam. Perhaps it migrated north?

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**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906/5 "2004-01-01T02:24:18Z")

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**krisolov** has it right. I used to wait tables at a family-owned Chinese restaurant, and white pepper was used instead of black.

I like it.

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**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-pepper-and-chinese-restaurants/221906/6 "2004-01-01T18:30:03Z")

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My husband worked for a caterer which specialized in Italian and American foods. They used white pepper in the potato salad, just for looks. I don’t notice too much difference from black pepper in either scent or taste.