Once hailed by Romans as the ultimate peppery spice, Long Pepper was freely used alongside common black pepper; however, it has a hot, almost mouth-numbing heat. It will remind you of spice blends like garam masala, cardamom and nutmeg more than single spice. It is a flower spike embedded with tiny seeds and looks like a long skinny pinecone. Used in Indian pickled vegetables, North African spice blends and Indonesian and Malaysian cooking. Can be used in a grinder as a substitute for black pepper.