Grains Of Paradise

This is not a spice that I'm familiar with from my experience in Britain and Spain.

Grains of paradise plants	Grains of paradise seed pod	Grains of paradise seeds

Species:	Aframomum melegueta.
Origin:	West Africa.
Source:	Grains of paradise are native to Africa's West coast, specifically Ghana, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo and Nigeria. Most imports stem from Ghana.
Used Part:	Seed. These are approximately the same size and shape as cardamom seeds but are reddish-brown in colour. In powdered form they become pale grey.
Family:	Zingiberaceae (ginger family).
Effect:	Spicy, pungent and slightly bitter.
Etymology:	Genus name aframomum is derived from the Latin prefix afr- "African" and the Greek amōmon "aromatic shrub". Species name melegueta derives from a common root of French méléguette and Spanish malagueta, both implying "pepper". In the Middle Ages, the spice was termed grana paradisi "grains of paradise" because of its high value. This name also reflects the medieval conception of an "earthly paradise" full of spice scent. Many contemporary languages have loan translations of that name, e.g. German paradieskörner, Portuguese grãos-do-paraíso, Hungarian paradicsommag and Romanian grăunțele paradisului "seeds of paradise".
	Most languages have names such as "pepper of Guinea" or "pepper of Melegueta" referring to the biting taste and the region of origin in Western Africa. Examples are French poivre de Guinée, Czech pepř malaguetský, Greek piperi melenketa "melegueta pepper" and Italian grani de Meleguetta "melegueta grains". In some languages, the names compare grains of paradise not to pepper but to the botanically related ginger, e.g. Lithuanian imbierpipiri "ginger pepper" and Korean kinia senggang "ginger of Guinea".
Uses:	Grains of paradise were an important spice in 15th century Europe, when spices were high in demand but the sea route to India had not yet been discovered. In these times, grains of paradise were a common substitute for black pepper. The Western African coast derived its name "pepper coast" because grains of paradise were traded there. During the Renaissance, when pepper superseded grains of paradise as the favourite spice, it was commonly used as a beer flavouring.
	Nowadays the importance of this spice has vanished. Outside of its production area in central Africa grains of paradise are only known in North Africa. They appear in Moroccan spice mixtures and are also popular in neighbouring Tunisia, where stews are frequently flavoured with an aromatic mixture called gâlat dagga which contains grains of paradise, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combining peppery pungency and rich aroma, this mixture is a good example of Arab culinary tradition. In the West African countries of origin, the seeds are used not only to flavour food but are also chewed on cold days to warm the body.
	In the West, grains of paradise are hard to obtain but are valuable for traditional recipes (e.g. sausages or spiced wine) and are a worthy addition to many other everyday dishes. Their hotness is not as strong as in pepper, but more subtle and goes well with vegetables (potatoes, aubergines and pumpkin). To obtain best results, grains of paradise are ground before use and added shortly before serving. Despite their rather pungent taste when used alone, they must be used liberally to obtain satisfactory results.
	Cookbooks from Cameroon mention the atzoh plant, whose seeds can be used as the spice mbongo. This plant is aframomum citratum, a close relative of grains of paradise.