Alligator pepper

Common card · No. 496045

Alligator pepper (also known as Ishitɛ, Ata Ire, Ose Oji, mbongo spice, ntuen ibok(Efik/Ibibio) Kàsù(Boki language), or hepper pepper or ehien-edo in Bini language) is a West African spice made from the seeds and seed pods of Aframomum daniellii, A. citratum, or A. exscapum. It is a close relative of grains obtained from the closely related species, Aframomum melegueta or "grains of paradise". Unlike grains of paradise, which are generally sold as only the seeds of the plant, alligator pepper is sold as the entire pod containing the seeds (in the same manner to another close relative, black cardamom). The plants which provide alligator pepper are herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Once the pod is open and the seeds are revealed, the reason for this spice's common English name becomes apparent as the seeds have a papery skin enclosing them and the bumps of the seeds within this skin is reminiscent...

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