Épices Rœllinger Pepper Cousins<Grains of Paradise

This spice goes by many names : grains of paradise, Guinea pepper, Guinea grains, and melegueta pepper. Grains of paradise belong to the Aframomum melegueta plant species which is a member of the Zingiberaceae family along with ginger and cardamom. The fragrant seeds are encased in a walnut-sized fruit. Thanks to Arab traders, grains of paradise were well known in Europe during the Middle Ages and so widely used that they made their way into drinks and wine-based sauces (like cameline sauce). Portuguese spice traders also brought grains of paradise back from the Gulf of Guinea. These grains of paradise are harvested from the wild in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.