Piper guineense

Piper guineense is a West African species of Piper; the spice derived from its dried fruit is known as Ashanti pepper, Benin pepper, Edo pepper, false cubeb, Guinea cubeb, and called locally kale, kukauabe, masoro, etiñkeni, sasema, soro wisa, eyendo, eshasha by the Urhobo people, iyere or ata-iyere by the Yoruba and oziza and uziza by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It is a close relative of cubeb pepper and a relative of black pepper and long pepper. Unlike cubeb, which is large and spherical in shape, Ashanti pepper grains are prolate spheroids, smaller and smoother than cubeb pepper in appearance and generally bear a reddish tinge. The stalks of Ashanti pepper berries are also distinctly curved whilst those of cubeb pepper are completely straight. The terms West African pepper and Guinea pepper have also been used, but are ambiguous and may refer to grains of Selim or grains of paradise. The plants that provide Ashanti pepper are vines that can grow up to 20 m in length, climbing up boles of trees by means of adventitious roots. These are native to topical regions of Central and Western Africa and are semi-cultivated in countries such as Nigeria where the leaves, known as uziza, are used as a flavouring for stews. Like other members of the pepper family, Ashanti pepper contains 5–8% of the chemical piperine which gives them their piquant taste. They contain large amounts of beta-caryophyllene, which is being investigated as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also contains significant proportions (up to around 10%) of myristicin, elemicin, safrole, and dillapiol, as well as some apiole (around 1.4%). In terms of flavour, Ashanti pepper is very similar to cubeb pepper but is less bitter and has a fresher, more herbaceous flavour and aroma than cubeb's more pine-like scent. Though known in Europe during the Middle Ages (it was a common spice in Rouen and Dieppe in 14th-century France), these days, its use is largely marginalized to West and Central Africa.

Description

A slightly woody creeper. It attaches to the trunks of trees. It grows 10 m long. The fruit occur in clusters. They are 5 mm across. They are orange-red in colour.

Edible Uses

It is used in West African cuisine where it imparts spiciness and a pungent aroma to stews. Even in West Africa, Ashanti pepper is an expensive spice and is used sparingly. Often, a few grains are ground in a pestle and mortar before being added (along with black pepper) to soups or to boiled rice. The spice can also be substituted in any recipe calling for cubeb pepper, where Ashanti imparts a less bitter flavour. The pepper is also sometimes one of the ingredients in the Berbere spice mix used in the cuisines of Ethiopia and of Eritrea. However, West African Pepper is a highly esteemed spice in its region of origin and may be hard to get abroad; thus, long pepper is more often used in Berbere.

Traditional Uses

The fresh or dried fruit is used to flavour soups, rice and other foods. It is like mild pepper. The leaves are added to soups. The leaves are also cooked and used as a substitute for tea. Leaves are chewed with betel nut as a substitute for Piper betle. Ash from the plants is used as a substitute for salt.

Medicinal Uses

The fruits and leaves are used fresh and dried as components of medicinal preparations. The roots are chewed and the juice swallowed as an aphrodisiac.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in forests, woodland and along rivers.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial-Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings. Seeds germinate in about 22 days. Plants can be grown from stem cuttings.

Other Uses

The roots are used as chew sticks for cleaning the teeth.

Production

Fruit are harvested then dried in the sun. In Tanzania fruit are collected from October to December. In Central African Republic flowers have been observed in May and fruit from December to February.

Other Information

It is sold in local markets and internationally.

Notes

There are between 1000-2000 Piper species. They are mostly in the tropics.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Abeka, Acachat, Adua, Ashanti pepper, Ashoesie, Beka, Benin pepper, Boloko, Bololoko, Fufop, Iketu, Iyeyeh, Kakwale, Kampidi, Kandase, Kanlin man, Kapidi, Kechu, Keshu, Ketsu, Ketu, Kumpidi, Lenlenkoun, Masoro, Mbeka, Mbikondi, Mtambuu mwitu, Ndong, Nhamaco, Nkefu, Ohaya, Oleleko, Olokoloko, Poivre, Rukokota, Sop, Tambuu, Taquale, Tokesu, Toketchu, Toketu, Uda, Uziza, Zenbeleh, Zenbeleh-leh

References (57)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 40
• Atato, A., et al, 2012 Especes lianescentes a fruits comestibles du Togo. Fruits. 67(5): 353-368
• Billong Fils, P. E., et al, 2020, Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka people in southeastern Cameroon. Journal or Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 16:64 p 9
• Bongers, F. et al (Eds), Forest Climbing Plants of West Africa: Diversity, Ecology and Management. CABI
• Bouba, A. A., et al, 2012, Proximate Composition, Mineral and Vitamin Content of Some Wild Plants Used as Spices in Cameroon. Food and Nutrition Sciences 3:423-432

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