What to use instead of jambu
Quick answer
The closest option is Sichuan pepper, rated poor. Supplies a related tingling numbness from a related class of compound, and nothing else. There is no green herb, and Sichuan pepper brings a strong citrus-floral aroma tacacá has never had.
It will not do for: Tacacá and pato no tucupi as dishes — the wilted herb is an ingredient, not only a sensation; Anyone expecting the grassy flavour of the leaves.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Sichuan pepper
PoorUse: 0.1–0.25× by weight — A small pinch of freshly ground husk per bowl, for the tingle only.
Supplies a related tingling numbness from a related class of compound, and nothing else. There is no green herb, and Sichuan pepper brings a strong citrus-floral aroma tacacá has never had.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| different | different | different | n/a |
Works for
- Recalling the tingle of tucupi dishes far from Pará
Does not work for
- Tacacá and pato no tucupi as dishes — the wilted herb is an ingredient, not only a sensation
- Anyone expecting the grassy flavour of the leaves
Why there is no second option: The only option recorded, and a poor one argued rather than omitted. No other herb in the catalogue numbs; Sichuan pepper and sanshō are the only ingredients with a comparable sensation, and both are dry spices with strong aromas of their own. Frozen or dried jambu from a Brazilian grocer is always the better answer. Editorial judgement.