Spices of Sub-Saharan Africa
Berbere and mitmita, grains of paradise, uziza, suya spice, Zanzibar cloves and Madagascar vanilla. 14 spices on EveryMasala so far.
Spice cities, markets and growing areas
Penja Valley 1Addis AbabaAntananarivoCape Town and the Bo-KaapDurbanKanoMombasaSambava and the SAVA regionStone TownZanzibar and Pemba
Blends of the region
Countries
馃嚘馃嚧 Angola 2馃嚙馃嚡 Benin馃嚙馃嚰 Botswana馃嚚馃嚥 Cameroon 4馃嚚馃嚮 Cape Verde 1馃嚢馃嚥 Comoros 2馃嚚馃嚛 Democratic Republic of the Congo馃嚛馃嚡 Djibouti馃嚜馃嚪 Eritrea 3馃嚜馃嚬 Ethiopia 9馃嚞馃嚘 Gabon馃嚞馃嚥 Gambia馃嚞馃嚟 Ghana 4馃嚞馃嚦 Guinea 2馃嚞馃嚰 Guinea-Bissau 1馃嚚馃嚠 Ivory Coast馃嚢馃嚜 Kenya 1馃嚤馃嚪 Liberia 2馃嚥馃嚞 Madagascar 5馃嚥馃嚰 Malawi 1馃嚥馃嚤 Mali馃嚥馃嚪 Mauritania馃嚥馃嚭 Mauritius馃嚥馃嚳 Mozambique 2馃嚦馃嚘 Namibia馃嚦馃嚜 Niger 2馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria 12馃嚚馃嚞 Republic of the Congo馃嚪馃嚰 Rwanda馃嚫馃嚬 S茫o Tom茅 and Pr铆ncipe 1馃嚫馃嚦 Senegal 2馃嚫馃嚚 Seychelles 1馃嚫馃嚤 Sierra Leone 1馃嚫馃嚧 Somalia馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa 3馃嚬馃嚳 Tanzania 4馃嚬馃嚞 Togo馃嚭馃嚞 Uganda 2馃嚳馃嚥 Zambia 1馃嚳馃嚰 Zimbabwe 1
馃嚚馃嚥 Cameroon and 1 morePenja white pepper
A Cameroonian black pepper variety grown in the volcanic Penja Valley, protected by geographical indication.Seed 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Earthy and deep
馃嚞馃嚟 Ghana and 5 moreGrains of Selimdiarr
The dried fruit of a West African shrub, used as a peppery spice and coffee flavouring.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Bitter
馃嚦馃嚞 NigeriaYaji
A spicy rub from Nigeria made with chili, ginger, and ground peanuts.Blend 路 Hot and fiery 路 Earthy and deep
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 1 moreOgiri脪g矛r矛
A fermented West African condiment made from oil-bearing seeds.Paste 路 Savoury and umami
馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal and 5 morePiri piri
A very hot African cultivar of Capsicum frutescens used for spicy sauces and marinadesChilli 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚜馃嚬 EthiopiaMitmita釄氠尌釄氠專
A fiery Ethiopian spice blend of bird's eye chilies, cardamom, and cloves.Blend 路 Hot and fiery 路 Warm and sweet-spiced
馃嚞馃嚟 GhanaShitoshitor din
A dark, spicy sauce made from fried fish and peppers, central to Ghanaian cooking.Hot and fiery 路 Sharp and pungent
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 1 moreAlligator pepper
The seed pods of West African ginger plants, named for the bumpy texture of their inner kernels.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚜馃嚬 Ethiopia and 4 moreKorarima
The dried seeds of a wild ginger relative, essential to Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking.Seed 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Citrus and bright
馃嚞馃嚦 Guinea and 5 moreGrains of paradise
The pungent, citrus-tinged seeds of a West African ginger relative.Seed 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚞馃嚰 Guinea-Bissau and 5 moreCalabash nutmeg
The dried seed of a West African tree, used as a local substitute for nutmeg.Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 3 moreAshanti pepper
The dried fruit of a climbing vine, used for its fresh, herbaceous heat in West African stews.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Bitter
馃嚫馃嚛 Sudan and 5 moreTamarind
The sweet and sour pulp of a tropical tree pod used in sauces and drinks.Fruit 路 Sweet and mellow 路 Sour and tart
馃嚞馃嚟 Ghana and 5 morePrekesepr蓻k蓻s蓻
The scented pod of a West African tree, used to perfume soups.Fruit 路 Sweet and mellow
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ashanti pepper: User:Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Piri piri: Bovineone at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Grains of Selim: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
- Grains of paradise: Lemmikkipuu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Prekese: NMNH, CC0, source
- Calabash nutmeg: Samuel Curtis and William Jackson Hooker, Public domain, source
- Yaji: Salma kyari, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Penja white pepper: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alligator pepper: NsirimS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mitmita: Caffe Vita, CC BY 2.0, source
- Shito: Flixtey, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tamarind: B.navez, CC BY 2.5, source
- Korarima: Joe Castleman ( Gyrofrog ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source