Grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta) is a species in the ginger family,Zingiberaceae, and closely related tocardamom. Its seeds are used as aspice (ground or whole); it imparts apungent,black-pepper-like flavor with hints of citrus. It is also known asmelegueta pepper,Guinea grains,ossame, orfom wisa, and is sometimes confused withalligator pepper. The termsAfrican pepper andGuinea pepper have also been used, but are ambiguous as they can apply to other spices such asgrains of Selim (Xylopia aethiopica).
Aframomum melegueta is anherbaceousperennial plant native toswampy habitats along the West African coast. Its trumpet-shaped, purpleflowers develop intopods 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long, containing numerous small, reddish-brownseeds.
The pungent, peppery taste of the seeds is caused byaromaticketones, such as(6)-paradol (systematic name: 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one).Essential oils, which are the dominating flavor components in the closely relatedcardamom,[3] occur only in traces.
The stem at times can be short, and usually shows signs of scars and dropped leaves. The leaves are narrow and similar to those of bamboo, with a well-structured vascular system. The flowers of the herbaceous plant are aromatic, with an orange-colored lip and rich pinkish-orange upper part. The fruits contain numerous, small, golden red-brown seeds.
Melegueta is a major component in the diet ofWestern Lowland gorilla[4]—around 80 to 90 percent.[5] The gorillas eat the entire fruit and act as a source of seed dispersal for melegueta. In addition to food, the plant is also the most common material used to make nests and beds.[5]
Melegueta pepper is commonly used in the cuisines ofWest andNorth Africa, from where it has been traditionally transported bycamel caravan routes through theSahara desert and distributed to Sicily and the rest of Italy. Mentioned byPliny as "African pepper" but subsequently forgotten in Europe, they were renamed "grains of paradise" and became a popular substitute forblack pepper in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries.[6][7][8] TheMénagier de Paris recommends it for improving wine that "smells stale". Through the Middle Ages and into the early modern period, the theory of thefour humors governed theories about nourishment on the part of doctors, herbalists, and druggists. In this context, John Russell characterized grains of paradise inThe Boke of Nurture as "hot and moist".[9]
In 1469, KingAfonso V of Portugal granted the monopoly of trade in theGulf of Guinea toLisbon merchantFernão Gomes.[10] This included the exclusivity in trade ofAframomum melegueta, then called malagueta pepper. The grant came at the cost of 100,000real annually and agreement to explore 160 kilometres (100 mi) of the coast of Africa per year for five years; this gives some indication of the European value of the spice.[11] AfterChristopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492 and brought the first samples of the chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) back with him to Europe, the namemalagueta, and Spanish and Portuguese spelling, was then applied to the new chili "pepper" because itspiquancy was reminiscent of grains of paradise.[7] Malagueta, thanks to its low price, remained popular in Europe even after the Portuguese opened the direct maritime route to theSpice Islands around 1500.[12] This namesake, themalagueta chili, remains popular inBrazil, theCaribbean, Portugal, andMozambique.
The importance of theA. melegueta spice is shown by the designation of the area from theSt. John River (near present-dayBuchanan) toHarper in Liberia as the Grain Coast or Pepper Coast in honor of the availability of grains of paradise.[13] Later, the craze for the spice waned, and its uses were reduced to a flavoring for sausages and beer. In the 18th century, its importation to Great Britain collapsed after an act of Parliament[which?] during the reign ofGeorge III forbade its use inalcoholic beverages.[14][page needed] In 1855, England imported about 6,800 to 8,600 kilograms (15,000 to 19,000 lb) per year legally (duty paid).[13] By 1880, the 9th edition of theEncyclopædia Britannica reported: "Grains of paradise are to some extent used inveterinary practice, but for the most part illegally to give a fictitious strength tomalt liquors,gin, andcordials".[15]
The presence of the seeds in the diets oflowland gorillas in the wild seems to have some sort of beneficial effect on theircardiovascular health. They also eat the leaves, and use them for bedding material. The absence of the seeds in the diets of captive lowland gorillas may contribute to their occasionally poor cardiovascular health in zoos.[16][17]
Today the condiment is sometimes used in gourmet cuisine as a replacement for pepper, and to give unique flavor in somecraft beers,gins, and Norwegianakvavit. Grains of paradise are starting to enjoy a slight resurgence in popularity in North America due to their use by some well-known chefs.Alton Brown is a fan of the condiment, and he uses it inokra stew and his apple-pie recipe on an episode of the TV cooking showGood Eats.[18] Grains of paradise are also used by people on certain diets, such as araw food diet, because they are considered less irritating to digestion than black pepper.
In West Africanfolk medicine, grains of paradise are valued for their warming and digestive properties, and among theEfik people in Nigeria have been used for divination and ordeals determining guilt.[19]A. melegueta has been introduced to theCaribbean and Latin America, where it is used inVoodoo religious rites.[20][21] It is also found widely amongProtestant Christian practitioners ofAfrican-Americanhoodoo and rootwork, where the seeds are employed in luck-bringing and may be held in the mouth or chewed to prove sincerity.[22]
^Grains of paradise are listed among the varieties of caradmom in the 25th ed. of theDispensatory of the United States of America (1955) p. 257, as Paul E. Beichner notes in "The Grain of Paradise",Speculum, vol. 36, no. 2 (April 1961), p. 303. Beichner suggests the miraculous "greyn" ofChaucer's "The Prioress's Tale" was grains of paradise.
^Several medieval recipes are republished inTwo Fifteenth-century Cookery-Books, Thomas Austin (ed,) Early English Texts Society, vol. 91 (1888) (cited in passing by Beichner 1961), under the namesgraynys of parise,graynis of parys,graynys of Perys, and simplygraynis.
^"Its popularity may have been due to the brilliant name thought up for it by some advertising genius born before his times" observes Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, Anthea Bell (tr.),The History of Food, revised ed., 2009, p. 446.
^Noted, with other examples of fiery and watery grains of paradise, by Beichner 1961, p. 304, note 8; cardamom, with which it was often confused, asCardamomum maius andCardamomum minus, was reported byDioscurides as hot and dry in its qualities, as recorded in the late 13th-centuryHerbal of Rufinus (Beichner, p. 305f).
^Guidi Bruscoli, Francesco (2014) [c. 1450–1530)].Bartolomeo Marchionni, "Homem de grossa fazenda". Firenze: Leo S. Olschki editore. pp. 92–93.ISBN9788822263001.
^abLaurie's Sailing Directory for the Ethiopic or Southern Atlantic Ocean to the Rio de la Plata, Cape Horn, and the Cape of Good Hope etc., including the Islands between the two coasts; 4th ed., 1855
^Kup, Peter;A History of Sierra Leone, 1400–1787 (Cambridge University)
^Voeks, Robert (2013). "Ethnobotany of Brazil's African Diaspora: The Role of Floristic Homogenization".African Ethnobotany in the Americas. Springer. pp. 395–416.doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0836-9_14.ISBN978-1-4614-0835-2.
^Moret, Erica S. (2013). "Trans-Atlantic Diaspora Ethnobotany: Legacies of West African and Iberian Mediterranean Migration in Central Cuba".African Ethnobotany in the Americas. Springer. pp. 217–245.doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0836-9_9.ISBN978-1-4614-0835-2.
^Yronwode, Catherine (2002).Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic: A Materia Magica of African-American Conjure. Lucky Mojo. pp. 107–108.ISBN978-0-9719612-1-0.
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