he best way to understand the
spirit of James Beard Award-
winning, locally raised chef Spike
Gjerde's Woodberry Kitchen is to learn
about the history of an ingredient sprinkled
throughout the Baltimore restaurant's ever-
changing menu: the fish pepper.
A medium-heat chili with a flavor reminiscent of a cayenne,
the fish pepper was first brought from the Caribbean to
the Mid-Atlantic region in the late 1800s. It was a popular
ingredient for a time in seafood recipes along the East Coast,
particularly in Baltimore, but had eventually fallen out of
favor and all but disappeared until Gjerde rediscovered it.
With help from local farmers, the fish pepper now dresses up
Chesapeake Bay oysters as it did in the area some hundred-
plus years ago, livens up popcorn, and is even mixed into
cocktails at Woodberry. Gjerde and his team make and bottle
their own fish pepper hot sauce called Snake Oil, cleverly
packaged and branded to give a nod to the past just like its
contents do.
