Grains of Paradise is the name of a plant in the ginger family, which originates from West Africa. The ground seeds are used as a spice. It has a peppery flavor and was therefore in Europe used as a black pepper substitute during the 14th and 15th century.
Names
Scientific
Aframomum melegueta
English
African pepper
Alligator pepper
Grains of Paradise
Guinea grains
Guinea pepper
Melegueta pepper
Dutch
Grein
Paradijszaad
Slavenpeper
Spanish
Granos de Guinea
Granos del Paraíso
Pimienta de Guinea
Pimienta Melegueta
Pimienta murciélago
French
Maniguette
Poivre de Guinée
Poivre du paradis
German
Guineapfeffer
Meleguetapfeffer
Paradieskörner
Taxonomy
Genus
Aframomum
Family
Zingiberaceae
Order
Zingiberales
Basic information and facts
Origin:
West Africa
Distribution:
Mainly grown in West Africa and Southern Ethiopia.
Annual, biennial, or perennial:
It’s a herbaceous perennial plant.
Climate and weather:
Tropical
Uses:
Ground seeds are used as a spice which can be used as a substitute for black pepper.