[MR] Mystery Spice, Continued

[C. Brian Towey]

Friends and neighbors,

            Since the pods of my mystery spice look so much like Grains of
Paradise, I just had to go and find some Grains of Paradise to compare them.
I visited my local Nigerian grocer, and he did indeed sell "Alligator
Pepper" a.k.a. Grains of Paradise.  I can now confidently state that my
mystery spice is not Grains of Paradise.  They may look like similar, but
the mystery spice (a) has pods 1/3 the size, (b) tastes nothing like it, and
(c) has seeds inside are not nearly as solid and dense.

            I'm beginning to think it's mbongo, a west-African (Cameroon)
species of the same genus.  However, some sources describe mbongo pods as
being black, while these are brown, so I don't have a positive ID yet.

            I also showed the mystery spice to an Indian grocer who wrinkled
up his nose and said he had no idea.  However, I found out some interesting
things from my local Nigerian grocer.  

            First, he eats Grains of Paradise as a snack food.  He was
chewing some when I came into the store.  He had a dish of fresh, raw, cola
nuts and would chew chunks of cola with a few Grains of Paradise as a
stimulant.  I tried it, and liked the Grains of Paradise better than the raw
cola nut.  Crunching whole Grains of Paradise is like chewing black
peppercorns, but not as potent.

            Second, the same store also sells Ashanti Pepper (false cubeb)
labeled as "Uzuza".  I have searched the Web in vain for any reference to
Uzuza, but under the alternate spelling Uziza there is some information.
One Web site claims that Uziza was used as pepper in France as early as
1364, particularly in Rouen and Dieppe where merchants imported it.  

            http://tinyurl.com/94wlk

            So, if any of you are looking for a source of Ashanti Pepper,
let me know.  Two ounces of the stuff cost only $2.29, and six huge pods of
Grains of Paradise were $2.99.  The store is not far from my house, and I
can pick some up for you.

 

Your servant,

 

Charles Fleming