https://gardenology.mywikis.net/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Grains_of_paradise 2026-04-13T04:06:54Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.35.3 https://gardenology.mywikis.net/w/index.php?title=Grains_of_paradise&diff=10099&oldid=prev 2007-10-16T05:54:36Z

<p></p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Taxobox<br /> | color = lightgreen<br /> | name = ''Aframomum melegueta''<br /> | image = Aframomum melegueta.jpg<br /> | regnum = [[Plantae]]<br /> | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]<br /> | classis = [[Liliopsida]]<br /> | ordo = [[Zingiberales]]<br /> | familia = [[Zingiberaceae]]<br /> | genus = ''[[Aframomum]]''<br /> | species = '''''A. melegueta'''''<br /> | binomial = ''Aframomum melegueta''<br /> | binomial_authority = [[K. Schum.]]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> :''For the similarly-named Brazilian chili pepper, see [[Malagueta pepper]].''<br /> <br /> '''''Aframomum melegueta''''' is a species in the ginger family, [[Zingiberaceae]]. It is commonly known as '''Guinea pepper''', '''Melegueta pepper''', '''alligator pepper''' and '''Guinea grains'''. '''Grains of paradise''', a [[West Africa]]n [[spice]] that gives a pungent, [[black pepper|peppery]] flavor, is obtained from this [[plant]]. It is a [[herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[perennial plant]] native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Its trumpet-shaped, purple [[flower]]s develop into 5 to 7&amp;nbsp;cm long [[pod]]s containing numerous small, reddish-brown [[seed]]s. <br /> <br /> The seeds have a pungent, peppery taste due to [[Aromaticity|aromatic]] [[ketone]]s,<br /> e.g., (6)-paradole (systematic name: 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one).<br /> Essential oils, which are the dominating flavor components in the closely related [[cardamom]], occur only in traces.<br /> <br /> Grains of paradise are commonly employed in the cooking styles of [[West Africa]] and [[North Africa]], where they have been traditionally imported via [[camel train |caravan]] routes through the [[Sahara]] desert. Grains of paradise became a very fashionable substitute for [[black pepper]] in the 14th and 15th century Europe, especially in northern France, one of the most populous regions in Europe at the time. In the early modern period, the craze for the spice waned and it became more common as a flavorer for sausages and beer. Today it is largely unknown outside of West and North Africa except as flavorers in some [[beer]]s, [[gin]]s and Norwegian acquavit.<br /> <br /> In West African [[folk medicine]], grains of paradise are valued for their warming and digestive properties. ''A. melegueta'' has been introduced to the [[Caribbean]] Islands, where it is used as medicine and for religious ([[voodoo]]) rites.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> * [http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Afra_mel.html Katzer spice site]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Medicinal plants]]<br /> [[Category:Zingiberaceae]]<br /> [[Category:Spices]]<br /> [[Category:Peppers]]</div>

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