Grains of paradise
Small red-brown seeds of a West African plant in the ginger family — peppery but gentler, with notes of citrus, cardamom and coriander. Also called melegueta pepper.
peppery · citrusy · floral · warm
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Spice specialists online.
- A little history
- Traded across the Sahara and from the West African coast for centuries; the coast of present-day Liberia was once known as the Grain Coast after it.
- Worth knowing
- They grind well in a peppermill. Add them at the end, as you would black pepper — long cooking dulls the perfume.