Spices & seasonings · Whole spices

Tirphal (teppal)

Split dried berry husks with a woody, citrusy aroma and tingle, used in Konkan and Goan fish curries.

Also called: teppal, tephal, tirfal, triphal, triphala (Konkan spice), goan pepper, konkan pepper, indian prickly ash

Around the world: तिरफळ (mr) · ತೆಪ್ಪಲ್ (kn)

A kind of spices

Read the full spice guide: flavour, history and how to use it

What it is

Tirphal (teppal) is the dried fruit of Zanthoxylum rhetsa, a thorny tree of India's Western Ghats and coast. It is a relative of Sichuan pepper, not of black pepper. The dried fruits split open into brown husks, often with a shiny black seed inside. The husk carries the aroma; the seed is bitter and usually thrown away. It is a signature of Konkani, Goan Saraswat and Malvani fish curries.

Zanthoxylum rhetsa

How it’s used

Coconut fish curries (Konkani, Goan, Mangalorean)
Dal and bean curries in Konkan homes
Some Malvani masalas

Characteristics

Taste: Woody and bitter-citrus, with a mild tingle on the tongue.
Aroma: Strong, resinous, citrus-peel.
When cooked: Gives up its aroma to liquid quickly; a few husks scent a whole pot.
Sold as: whole
Cooking uses: Commonly cooked, Mainly a seasoning
Common in: Goan, Indian