SC - at the market

[grizly at mindspring.com]

sca-cooks at ansteorra.org wrote:
<<<<<My third and final (for the present) question is Can anyone tell me the Linnaean name (or preferably the standard Indian one) for grains of paradise?  Enquiring shoppers need to know...Cairistiona>>>

You asked for it!  Here is information from Gernot Katzer's webpage:

http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/index.html

** Grains of Paradise
** (Aframomum melegueta [Roskoe] K.Schum.)

Synonyms
      bot
             Amomum melegueta, Amomum grana
             paradisi 
      pharm
             Grana paradisi 
      Amharic
             Kewrerima 
      Dutch
             Paradijskorrels 
      English
             Guinea grains, Melegueta pepper 
      Estonian
             Melegeti aframon 
      French
             Graines de paradis, Malaguette, Poivre de
             Guinée, Maniguette 
      German
             Paradieskörner, Guineapfeffer,
             Meleguetapfeffer, Malagettapfeffer 
      Italian
             Grani de Meleguetta, Grani paradisi, Mani
             guetta 
      Russian
             Rajskiye zyorna, Malagvet 
      Spanish
             Malagueta 


Used plant part
     Seed. The seeds have approximately the size and the
     shape of cardamom seeds (3 mm), but are reddish-brown
     in colour. In powdered form, they become pale grey. A
     good photo of the seeds is shown by Norman. 

Plant family
     Zingiberaceae (ginger family). 

Sensoric quality
     Spicy, hot and warm, a little bitter. 

Main constituents
     In the acetone extract of Ghanese grains or paradise, the
     following hydroxyphenylalkanones were found:
     1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one (called
     (6)-paradole),
     1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-hendecan-3-one
     (called (7)-paradole) and
     1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-hendeca-4-ene-3-one
     (called (6)-shoagole) in approximately equal parts.
     (Phytochemistry, 14, 853, 1975).
     Other work reports (6)-paradole and (6)-gingerole
     (5-hydroxy-(6)-paradole). 

Origin
     West Africa (Nigeria to Ghana). Most imports stem from
     Ghana. In the countries of origin, the seeds are used not
     only to flavour food, but they are also chewed on cold
     days to warm the body. 

Etymology
     In the Middle Ages, the spice was termed graines of
     paradise because of its high value. Guinea and
     Malagetta refer to the region of origin. About the
     elements -amomum in the genus name see cardamom. 



The grains of paradise have been an important spice in 15.th
century Europe, when spices were high in demand, but the sea
route to India has not yet been discovered. In these times, grains
of paradise were a common substitute for black pepper. The
West African coast got its name "pepper coast" because the
grains of paradise were traded there. Later, in the Renaissance,
when pepper hat outrun them as the favourite kitchen spice,
grains of paradise were common as beer flavouring (see gale).

Since then, the importance of this spice has vanished to quite zero
in our days; outside its production area (Central Africa), it is only
known in Northern Africa and may appear in Moroccan spice
mixtures (see cubeb pepper). See also sichuan pepper for a
comparision of several pungent spices.

Apart from Morocco, grains of paradise are also popular in
neighbouring Tunisia. Tunisian stews are frequently flavoured with
an aromatic mixture called gâlat dagga, which contains grains of
paradise besides black pepper and several sweet spices: cloves,
cinnamon and nutmeg. Combining peppery pungency and rich
aroma, this mixture is a good example of Arab cooking tradition.

In the West, grains of paradise are now hard to obtain, but still
valuable for people following old recipes (e.g., for sausages or
aromatized wine). But this spice are a worthy addition to many
other everyday dishes. Its pungency is not as strong as pepper,
but more subtle and goes well with vegetables (potatoes,
aubergines, pumpkin). To obtain best results, grains of paradise
must be ground before use and should be added shortly before
serving. Despite their rather pungent taste when tried alone, they
must be used liberally to obtain satisfactory results. 

                        Modification date: 25 Apr 1998
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                                    (treabgxngmre)