GRAINS OF PARADISE

45 Grams

Grains of Paradise have notes of citrus in their aroma, which give way to a pungent and peppery flavor, tasting strongly of ginger and cardamom. With an aromatic flavor like that, one has to wonder why Grains of Paradise, a favorite in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, slipped beneath the radar for so many years.

Grains of Paradise, also known as Guinea Pepper, poivre de Guinée in France, Malaguita Pepper and Alligator Pepper, were an important spice in 15th century Europe, when spices were high in demand, but the sea route to India had not yet been discovered.

They hail from the coastal region of West Africa, which got the name “pepper coast” because the Grains of Paradise were traded there. In these times, Grains of Paradise were a common substitute for black pepper.

Later, in the Renaissance, when pepper had outrun them as the favorite kitchen spice, Grains of Paradise were common as a flavoring for beverages such as beer and gin and vinegar. Although it fell out of favor in the west for so many years, it was still a very popular spice in Morocco and Tunisia.

Today it is gaining increasing popularity with professional chefs, alone and as a part of more complex spice mixtures.

These brown seeds, which are related to cardamom, are spicy and warm, and they have a sharp peppery bite and refreshing astringency. They are still commonly used as a substitute for black pepper, but they are also terrific in their own right on vegetables, particularly potatoes, aubergines, and pumpkin.

They can also be used for poaching fruit. The seeds are used not only to flavor food, but can be chewed on cold days to warm the body. To obtain best results, Grains of Paradise must be ground before use and should be added shortly before serving.

A recent New York Times article written by Amanda Hesser has popularized Grains of Paradise. She wrote " I put a few between my teeth and crunched. They cracked like coriander releasing a billowing aroma, and then a slowly intensifying heat, like pepper at the back of my mouth. The taste changes in a second. The heat lingered. But the spice flavor was pleasantly tempered, ripe with flavors reminiscent of jasmine, hazelnut, butter and citrus, and with the kind of oiliness you get from nuts. They were entirely different from black peppercorns and in my mind, incomparably better".