Black Pepper in Nepali: Marich (मरिच), Peppercorns and Powder

Black pepper is marich (मरिच) in Nepali. Whole black peppercorns are the small dried spice used whole, crushed or ground. If you are looking up “marich in English,” the everyday kitchen meaning is black pepper.

Black pepper names at a glance

English	Nepali	Form
Black pepper	मरिच — marich	The spice in general
Whole peppercorns	सिङ्गो मरिच — singo marich	Whole dried peppercorns
Ground black pepper	मरिचको धुलो — marich ko dhulo	Powder

Whole, crushed and ground marich

Choose the form requested by your recipe. Whole peppercorns can be ground in a pepper mill; crushing gives a coarser texture than a fine powder. Marich has a pungent flavour, so add it gradually when adjusting seasoning.

Whole black peppercorns.

Black pepper shown whole, crushed and finely ground.

Packets of ground spices at Ason Tole, Kathmandu, from the original article archive.

Is marich the same as chilli?

No. Marich is black pepper; khursani is chilli. A packet labelled red chilli powder is not ground black pepper. Check the ingredient name when shopping or following a translated recipe.

Black pepper and long pepper are different

The original archive also includes a photograph labelled pippla (पिप्ला), or long pepper. It should not be labelled as ordinary black pepper. Black pepper is Piper nigrum; Indian long pepper is Piper longum. Kew’s black pepper reference distinguishes these plants.

Long pepper, labelled pippla in the original Nepal spice-market archive.

Buying and storing marich

• Ask for whole peppercorns or ground powder explicitly.
• Check that a packaged powder contains the ingredient you need rather than a mixed seasoning.
• Keep the spice in a closed container away from moisture and heat.

More Nepali spice names

Read the guides to cumin (jira), fenugreek (methi) and chilli (khursani).