Summer in New York City is synonymous with a whole cadre of street festivals where artists and vendors sell their wares and one can usually buy something cool like the magic wrap skirt.When we got home that day, I decided to press my mother some more as to what spices or aromatics she may have used in Ghana that she cannot easily obtain here in regular grocery stores or even in the African/Caribbean specialty stores. It took some time to get beyond the typical “the ingredients” i.e. the holy trinity of onion, ginger, pepper, +/- garlic that is added to tomatoes, similar to the French mirepoix (celery, onion, carrots) and the Spanish sofrito (onion, garlic, tomatoes). By the way, we’ve got to come up with a cooler name than “the ingredients”. I wonder if it actually has a name in Ghana.
It took a couple more minutes to get beyond the “ah you know, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, thyme, Maggi cube, etcetera” but with phrases like “ok, so did your grandmother that you grew up with as a child use Maggi cube” which of course was answered in the negative and with the help of Google images and the internet (a wonderful invention) we started to hit jackpot.
This was a fun evening of bonding with my mother. Yes, I said it. So below, I document my discoveries.
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| African bird pepper plant |
African bird pepper (Capsicum frutescens, C. annuum, C. chinense)
Also known as African birds eye chili, piri-piri, malagueta pepper, African devil. In Nzema it is dɛza mmalɛ. In Twi it is misewa.
This is the spice responsible for this blog post. My mother remembers it growing in the wild in little bushes around the farm. There are always birds around it eating the chili and you know, dropping their chili-laced poop around. It’s very hot, the perfect pepper for enemas. Medicinally, it helps lower blood pressure, eases stomach upset, aids digestion by stimulating peristalsis, and breaks up phlegm. Somehow, we didn’t come around to using it in cooking, so I don’t know if there are certain dishes that one would use this pepper in versus other hot chili peppers like the scotch bonnet.
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| Grains of paradise & their pods |
Grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta)
Also known as alligator pepper, Guinea pepper, Melegueta pepper (not to be confused with malagueta pepper). In Nzema it is ɛza. In Twi it is efom wisa.
This was a spice that I had heard of before on Alton Brown‘s TV show Good Eats. Since it is indigenous to West Africa and Amazon’s version is from Ghana, I thought it would be a good starting point to see how it is used traditionally. Surprisingly, it took a few minutes for my mother to figure out what it was and recall that it has medicinal and ritual uses but she wasn’t sure that it was used in cooking. The webosphere says it’s from the ginger family and has a pungent peppery flavour. Medicinally, it has anti-microbial and aphrodisiac properties.
| Negro pepper |
Negro pepper (Xylopia aethiopica)
Also known as Grains of Selim, Guinea pepper (again!), Senegal pepper, Moor pepper, Ethiopian pepper. Hmmm, I see a trend! In Ghana it is known as hwentea/ahentia.
After being admonished by me for not knowing “grains of paradise” my mother got up and went to the kitchen to bring me a spice she did know! Hwentea. She had found dried whole pods of it in an African store somewhere in the Bronx. Excitedly, she told me that it is commonly used in cooking (as well as for medicinal properties, but at this point this goes without saying). A little bit in stews and soups gives a nice nutmeg-like spicy taste. A little bit more and you have a very bitter mess on your hands. This is excellent in koko (cornmeal porridge). Medicinally, it too has anti-microbial properties.
West African Black Pepper (Piper guineense)
Also known as Ashanti pepper, Guinea pepper (again!), false cubeb, tailed pepper, esoro wisa (Twi), wie din (Ga), masoro (Hausa), kale (Ewe), uziza (Igbo). Nigerians eat the leaves as well. I’m not sure if Ghanaians do.
This is a less bitter pepper also used, sparingly, in soups and stews to which it imparts a clove-like spicy flavour. It acts as an appetite stimulant, and is also used for constipation and indigestion.
Aridan (Tetrapleura tetraptera)
It is called prɛkɛsɛ in Twi.
This too brought a rash of memories to my mother but she has never used it in cooking and isn’t quite sure how it would be used for that purpose. But looking at the Google Image brought a smile to her face as she remembered that it has a nice smell. They would burn it on the coal-pot and like incense it would give off a sweet delightful aroma. The smell is so strong that any passerby knows that somebody is cooking with or burning prɛkɛsɛ. For this reason it is a symbol of power i.e. the king whose power reaches into all abodes in his kingdom even though he’s not physically there. Hmmm, I’m going to have to smell this for myself!
Prɛkɛsɛ is also mixed with “something like awalɛ/clay” and applied to the chest of mothers who have just given birth which makes me suspect it has lactogenic properties. When added to “light pepper soup” for these same nursing mothers it accelerates blood flow helping them to eliminate blood clots. It is also applied to joints as an anti-inflammatory agent.
I’ve seen this around quite a bit even in African stores in the United States so I guess it’s not as neglected as some of the other spices. But I’m still left to wonder how it would be used in cooking.
| Calabash nutmeg |
Calabash nutmeg (Monodora myristica)
Evunleba (Nzema), Wedeɛ aba/wedeaba/awerewa (Twi), Ehuru (Igbo)
“Nutmeg!” my mother exclaimed when shown the Google Image. Ok, I guess before nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), native to Indonesia, was brought to our shores, this was our home-grown nutmeg. Do we still use it in cooking, I wonder, and how different is it in taste and smell from the common nutmeg? To no surprise, it is used in enemas and concoctions. Do we not cook with any of these?
African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa)
Dadawa/Dawadawa (Hausa), Iru (Yoruba, Nigeria), Soumbala/Sumbala (Francophone West Africa)
The fermented African locust bean acts as a food enhancer. It is what stood high and mighty before the Swiss-designed Maggi and it’s umami siblings pushed it out of the way. In the words of my mother, “this one, the Northerners use it in everything, we don’t use it”. When pressed as to what our food enhancer is salted and/or smoked fish and crustaceans seemed to be the answer.
I’m familiar with dawadawa though I’m not sure how or why. I know it stinks and looks unpleasant however I wouldn’t mind replacing the ubiquitous Maggi cube with some dawadawa. At least that way I know I’m getting some minerals (riboflavin, thiamine) though I would need to be careful not to get toxins such as aflatoxins too.
Momone
In English = stinking fish. Indeed!
This is in essence fermented fish, fish that has been allowed to almost rot then is placed in brine for a few days then air dried in the sun for a few days. Koobi (dried salted tilapia) is another. Both stinky! Stinky! Stinky! I don’t think my mother uses either too frequently, probably because of the kind of children she has. Also, I’m not sure how much Nzema people in general use this in comparison to other southern ethnic groups. I would guess not as often. Although I’m not a fan of fish in general, and especially not smoked, dried, or salted fermented fish, I do now use Asian fish sauce, another stinky fermented fish condiment, when called for in Thai recipes, so if I can do that, I don’t see why I can’t invite momone into my life too. One day! One day!
It is used in soups, preferred over dawadawa, in southern Ghana. Just to be sure, this is not ethnic rivalry going on. It’s just that in Ghana, the southerners are along the coast where fish is readily available and the Northerners have the African locust bean growing around them.
Smoked/dried fish
Smoked/dried prawns/crayfish
This doesn’t really fall under the “neglected” nor under the “forgotten” label either but it is a very common food enhancer. As much as I don’t like smoked fish, I do grind these into a powder to use as a seasoning in nkontomire/Palaver sauce (spinach stew) and aboboi (beans stew). I then use fresh broiled mackerel for the former and tuna or beef for the latter to satisfy the carnivore in me. Dried herrings and crayfish/prawns are also the base for shito, a very popular spicy condiment that I am still learning to eat.
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| Potash |
Kaawe/Kanwu/Kaun (potash)
This is potassium carbonate (K2CO3) or carbonate of potash, an alkaline rock salt. You would want to find and use food grade quality of course as it is also used industrially in soap making and in fire extinguishers. It is what I have always called “that stone you use for okro”.
Not only is it used in making okro dishes, it is also used in the preparation of waakye (a specialized rice & beans). It helps okro “draw” more so if you don’t like okro because of the slime, you don’t want to be adding potash.
In waakye preparation, it is used when the beans are boiling to give them that particular soft “mush” texture quickly and it may even help aid in its digestibility.
Potash can also be used as a salt, a food tenderizer, or as a thickener.
If you can’t find it in an African store near you, you can try a beer/wine making supply store as they have food grade quality potash used to increase the pH of wine. Alternatively, you can use sodium bicarbonate more commonly known as baking soda.
| Pawpaw on a tree |
Green (unripe) pawpaw (papaya)
Speaking of meat tenderizers, if you chop up an unripe pawpaw and add it to the pot in which you are cooking tough meat it will soften it up. You can also marinate the meat with unripe pawpaw pulp before cooking. This makes sense to me now as pawpaw contains papain, an enzyme commonly found in meat tenderizers on supermarket shelves.
These are sun-dried leaves or stalks of the red sorghum plant but they are also known as millet leaves, go figure. They are used to impart a reddish colouring to true waakye. If you don’t have waakye leaves (and kaun) you are cooking “rice & beans” not waakye. Just saying.
As we become rapidly globalized we tend to forget what we have growing in our own backyards and instead ooh and aah over “exotic” spices and industrialized Maggi cubes and the like. Our forests are filled with numerous plants whose flowers, seeds, leaves, and bark offer a wide range of herbs, spices, seasonings, and healing remedies. It’s a shame that we are forgetting them.
I would like to think that those back home are more familiar with them than I am but too often when I see or receive a Ghanaian recipe, the aforementioned nutmeg, Maggi cube, thyme, ginger, etc. are the spices mentioned. So it’s not just me. I even have a copy of Ghanaian Favourite Dishes: Recipes that are Loved Best in Many Ghanaian Homes which was published in 1969 and as “authentic” as it is (the subject of another blog post), it didn’t feature too many spices I didn’t already know. True, it didn’t have the ever present Maggi cube nor nutmeg though it did feature “seasoning” quite frequently which could mean anything.
What are we waiting for? For westerners to say they’ve discovered a miracle plant in the African wilderness, like the magic diet pill du jour – African wild mango – before we too get excited? This African wild mango that Nigerians have been drinking as ogbono soup for centuries, that I can get whole or ground from an African food store for about $4, I’m supposed to want to drop $20 for a capsule form?
To my readers, I would really appreciate any input as to the Ghanaian (or other African) names of these seasonings and their use. And if you actually use any of them in cooking, a guide to amount used and when used would be insightful because “add some to your soup” is not too helpful, I’m afraid. Also, if there are other neglected or forgotten culinary seasonings out there that should be highlighted please feel free to mention them. I know that I haven’t even begun to touch the topic of the various native greens ubiquitously called spinach…such as nkontomire (the leaves of the cocoyam).
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Below is an update to this post based on comments left by readers like you. Enjoy!
Basil (Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum canum) Akokomɛsa, akokobessa
There are many types of basil out there. In my garden alone I have at least 10 varieties! So please no fighting on this one. This basil is the one with small leaves, a compact structure, with a sweet almost citrusy scent. To me it looks most like my lime basil than the genovese or sweet basil though it’s taste is different. I suspect that this is the plant that a garden store in Canada has trademarked as African spice basil. Seriously! Anyway, I really like the name “akokobessa”. It literally translates as “the chicken will finish”. Ha ha. When used in chicken light soup it gives it imparts such a wonderful flavour that next thing you know your food is finished.
West African Basil (Ocimum viride, Ocinum guineense, Ocinum gratissimum)
This is the basil that the Nigerians call scent leaf. In Ghana this is the emaleko (Nzema), nunum (Twi) or adefetue (Ewe) or daidoya (Hausa). It seems to be most related to the wild clove basil.
Turkey berry (Solanum torvum)
Also known as wild eggplant or prickly nightshade, the local names are kwanwu nsosuaa, kantɔsi, and abeduru. I am not familiar with these roadside berries at all in terms of how Ghanaians cook with it. The leaves are high in iron and vitamin C so excellent in pregnancy. It is also lactogenic.
Pettie Belle pepper (Capsicum chinense)
This is the tiny habanero-like pepper known locally as kpaposhitɔ. We tend to use them green, grinding them up for a chile sambal or salsa or dropping them whole in our soups.
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In response to what is the English name of… or what is the Twi name of …
Cloves are dadoamba, pɛprɛ or prɛkoma (Nzema)
Anise seeds are nketenkete/nkitikiti or osu kor (Ga)
Aubergine is ntropo or kanbuli (Nzema). There is also elankɛ ndɔma (Nzema) which quite literally translates to scrotum of cow
Garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) is nyaadewa, ntrowa, or ndrɔra (Nzema)
Amaranth/Morogo (African spinach) is aleefo
Purslane is adwere
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
Very informative. Great post. My in-law uses prekese in palm nut soup – tastes delish! I'll have to find out just what quantity is used. This is Agnes, btw.
this is an awesome post. I just went to an African market store to find ingedients for ghanaian food and came across a bunch of spices not labeled in English, which you have mentioned here, so now I know what more of them are. It's awesome, and perfect timing that you wrote this this month:) Thanks
Very good points you wrote here..Great stuff…I think you've made some truly interesting points.Keep up the good work. mango extract pills
Great post! What about akokomesa
Thank you.
I believe that's a form of basil (or closely related).
Not just a form of basil. it is basil
That’s basil
Akokomesa is same as wild basil
Akokomesa or akokobessa is the traditional name for the rootbark of Carissa edulis, which is used as a spice. But people in Accra apply the name now for African Basil (Ocimum gratissimum)…
I am also wondering about the English name for akokomesa but i know the local name of Ocimum gratissimum to be Nunum.
Calabash nutmeg is owidieaba.Bird pepper is nhyeraa
Bird pepper is Misiwa.
Basil Leaves
Thanks for educating me with the English and botanical names of spices I didn’t know before. Akokomesa was used in stews and soups by my mother. I am in my mid 50s. I have never known it to be the bark of a tree. I grow it in my garden at home. It is also not the people in Accra who call it Akokomesa. I come from the Brong Ahafo and we’ve always called it Akokomesa.
Can you please let me know the twi name for spinach, celery, basil?
basil is akokom3sa
So far this is the greatest post i have come across since about three days now. Well done. Keep it up. I will also try and get the Twi names of the spices posted for you.
Really informative Ghanaians need to rise up to protect what they have. Evil ppl introducing GMO foods wants to destroy what we have. We all need to fight against it.
thanks
Good work done.
brothers and sisters lets add more infomation below are few vegetables
kontomire (cocoyam leaves)
kwawu nsosuaa/abeduru (sosomba/ Solanum torvum)
ntropo (is abigger type of Garden eggs)
thanks!
Kwahu nsosua…. turkey berry
Ntropo…is aubergine
Thank you for this post… i actually came across it looking for the english name for "hwentea" and i did…
i actually use it in porridge.. the local Ghanaian type made from corn dough.. it adds this savoury taste to it… yummy… thks again
Great. You can add it to oats as well. It gives it a wonderful flavour.
Yes. I Iove the flavour and the taste too
well grains of paradise is fom wesa nd tailed peppers is soro wesa, calabash nutmeg is called wede3 aba in twi, hwentia tastes great in corn dough porridge! hope I was helpful.
Corn dough porridge like koko?
Thanks for your input. Very helpful.
What of adode…. It's not oyster I saw it somewhere but didn't pay much attention to it and I lost the site….
I don't know. Clam if not oyster?
There are these two fruits that are normally sols together,It's been a long time I actually saw some…. one is black and round when eaten gets stuck in your teeth and gum,I think the Gas Call it SH>/SH>N not sure about the spelling and the other is yellow and like a mini mango,shape and seed alike,name I don't know… . Need their English Names and proper local names too
Your blog though,its amazing thumbs up������
Hi, are you talking about yooyi (velvet tamarind) as the black one; and alasa (white star apple)?
Check the comments on this post: http://heliotropicmango.blogspot.com/2007/01/name-this-fruit.html
I think the small mango type fruit is called owo Aduane( literally speaking snake food) it grows on tall tree and snakes love it as well hence its name.
I know exactly what you’re talking about regarding the black sticky fruit with a distinct smell but cannot remember the name. It is not called yooye, yooye is black outside but orange inside with tiny black seed.
There is another small red fruit called ‘asaa’in twi, when eaten, everything eaten afterwards tastes sweet, even Kenkey tastes sweet after first eating ‘ asaa’ This amazing fruit can be used by diabetics in place of the chemical sweetners.
The black one is called shö and the yellow is aadon in Ga. They both have a single pip and are different from yooyi, velvet tamarinds or alasa, african star fruit.
Velvet tamarind (yooyi) is not what he wants to know. What is being described we normally call "black black" or blackberries. It's succulent. Been quite a while I saw some. And the yellow one too is succulent and small (not alasa). We call it "atamba" in fante. I remember calling it "yellow yellow" in Tema when I was a child.
Yea d black one is blackberry..d yellow is called alasa
The black one is BlackBerry.the Ewes call it 3f)
Yea d black one is blackberry..d yellow is called alasa
When I was a kid, we called the yellow/orange berries Akosua korkor(Red Akosua) and the black one Akosua tumtum(Black Akosua):)The black berries sometimes has an unpleasant smell, while the yellow/orange berries tasted sweet or sour depending on how ripe it is.
Yes, I recall those two “twin-fruits”, the black one is called “SH)” — “)” is the local letter sounding as “or”; the golden/yellow one is called “aardõñ”.
Hope that sheds a little bit of light.
If anyone knows of any book that contains these spices and their properties, please post a hint.
More grease to your elbows for a wonderful job done. Keep it up!
You mean Sh) ( Shõ) pronounced in the nostril.
The yellow fruit is called ààdònģ and the black is also called shò in Ga.
You did a great at the compilation. It's hard getting these local names and their English versions.
Can I know the akan name for parsely
Hello I just chanced upon your site, very well done. The grains of paradise are call…'fom wisa'….The bird peppers are called 'misewa' and the African nutmeg ie monograph myristica. Is called 'awerewa' or 'wedeaba'
Thanks for the post. You have saved my day am teaching local spices. Wondering what wedeaba was.
Monodora myristica
Please what is the twi name for basil leaves
akokom3sa
thanks
The English name for kwawu nusosua/abeduru is turkey berry
Dadoamba is cloves
Please can I know the twi name for cumin..thanks
Please can I know the twi name for cumin
cumin in twi is nketenkete
cumin in twi is nketenkete
Unfortunately, the cumin I see in some Indian spice markets is not nketiketi.
I believe nketiketi is anise. But the seeds sure look like cumin seeds. Scent and flavor are distinctly anise.
Please can i know the twi name for common cress powder
What is the English name for Pɛprɛ
pepre in english is cloves
Sample picture of pepre
Please, can you guys help me out ? I want the Twi name for these plants. SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME
Your are doing great work but please l want the twi name for common cress powder seed
Please I want the twi name for EBGO MADURU and a picture of it.
The Twi name for tumeric please
What is the english word for the seed known as ODI ABA in twi?
Lol
You are a blessing! Thank you for that wonderful information.
Please I want the twi name of anise, cumin, cinnamon
I’d like to order & try out some of these exotic spices. Is there a retail source in NYC where one could purchase some of these spices?
There are several African grocery stores in NY that would carry some of these spices. Adom in the Bronx is one.
I’m busy writing a 3 book set (including a cook book and book of Basic recipes for a Ghanaian resort and the Negro Pepper (of Senegalese Selim pepper) is called Nkunkuya in Ghana. Amongst other used, it is used in Suya Powder, rubbed into skewered meat on street food barbeques. Strangely, there is absolutely no reference to Knunkuya on the internet.
Isn’t that hwentia?
Nice post, thanks. Please I would like to know the twi name for mint leaves
Could any one please help me with what the common name (english) of “kanafri” is please?
The Calabasas nutmeg in Twi is “surowisa”
Calabash nutmeg is known as wedièba
Great post indeed. Just got educated about a couple of things.
Hi please can I know the Ghanaian name for fenugreek seed and where to get some
Hi Princess, I don’t know the twi name for the fenugreek seeds but I get both the seeds and the powder at various shops in Ghana(Accra/Kumasi/Koforidua). @maxmart, shoprite, the game, natural foods stores and online shop in Ghana.
Great post! Please what is the twi name for lentils?
Great post.
I too have been pressing my mum on African spices…
Calabash nutmeg is the spice for groundnut (peanut) soup. Just a teaspoon or 2 of the powder form together with chilliest and ginger and your usual seasonings and meat/fish of course is all you need for the perfect groundnut soup.. Enjoy
Negro pepper is also used in koko ( fermented corn porridge) just crack a few (1-2 in a small pot) and drop in the porridge to give it a fragrant smell and taste.
Prekese has medicinal values. It looks like a bark and just boil a few about 3 with ginger in a pot and drink daily. Cleanses the blood system.
Nketenkete I believe comes from the cumin/fennel family but hasn’t got as pungent a smell. Just use sparingly as less is always more.
Plss can anyone help me with de twi name of spinach…..I really need it badly….plsss
I am sure of the local name for spinach but the African spinach(Morogo) is called “Aleefo”
Pls what’s the English name for pepreh
Cloves
What I have is green very very small…I know cloves pls..thank you
It’s like peppermint leaves but not peppermint
Please what is local Ghana name for coriander?
Pls I want to know the twi name of pondweed
I would love to know the twi name for Parsley..
Pls what is the twi name of goldenseal
I was looking for information on Birds pepper and came across this blog site. My dad worked for the State Farms corporation so I lived on plantations in the jungle. There was one bird, Apatupre famous for eating this pepper which grew wild. If discovered the maximum you could use in preparing food is two tiny pieces. As Africans, we should research into the medicinal qualities of these plants. The late Dr. Andoh started and wrote a book, and I am lucky to have met him and bought one. His company is The North Scale institute. The title of the book is The Science and Romance of Selected Herbs Used in Medicine and Religious Ceremony.
Can i pls no the twi name of Cumin seeds .How is call in Twi
I’ve been researching production of salt substitutes in traditional societies in East Africa – your article gave me a good start. Thanks
I want to see a tumeric pls can u help me .
Can someone please help….i go into Koala in Osu, Accra and i buy Basil and i go and plug “Akokobessa” or “Akokomessa” from behind a house near Papaye all in Osu…..IT IS DIFFERENT – AROMA, TASTE, EVERY ATOM OF IT….. What is the name of this herb? Yes, it may be a type of Basil? what should we call it? since am being told “Akokobessa” is a wrong name. SOS
This is a great deal! I’ve been researching for a long time on the English names of these…insightful Africa is great!
Thank you!
Wat is the two name for tumeric
What is stinking nettle in twi or ga ?
What is the English or botanical name of Nsusuwa or Nsusuae? This is just like the Turkey berry – Kantose – and it do ripe from green to yellow and red and then dried up, which can be powdered for soups when not in season. It is having a bitter taste and also sweet after taste. It is a seasonal plant of the garden egg family and grows wild during new farming season.
Can you please help me with the twi name for cumin
Nice work done, pls I want to know de Akan name for tumeric
Wow, didn’t know about the unripe papaya used as meat softner.
This is a terrific piece. Many memories were re-ignited, having grown up on my grandfather’s farm. Thank you. It is time perhaps we look at some of these healthier alternatives!!
Prekese has been found through research to reduce high blood pressure. Mesewa grows wild and growing up, I don’t remember anyone using more than two to cook. I can figure you are a good cook and would like to share some secret recipes with you.
Some yam leaves are edible, but others are dangerous. My wife brought various yams from Ghana and we grew them in our garden in Richland, WA, along with several kinds of peppers, egushi melons, and Ghanaian cherry tomatoes. Having heard that yam leaves could be eaten like spinach, I ate a piece from one of the growing plants. I just about DIED… extreme pain and coughing for 10 minutes. My wife later explained that only certain kinds of yam leaves were edible.
The tomatoes are also remarkable. They come up year after year without replanting, from seeds that survive in the ground during winter.
Please the twi names for tumeric,cumin and back seed
Glad to see prekese (Aridan) It is used in soups in Ghana. Just cut the pod into two or three and drop in the soup for the sweet flavour to seep into the soup. If you do not wish to have the strong flavour, just a piece will work out fine, or put in the soup when it is have way to cooking time. It is so in nice in Abenkwan (palm fruit soup).
2. You can also boil it in hot water and drink like tea. Boiling will turn the water golden brown. I prefer it without sugar and milk because it is medicinal. Others add Aridan to pots of drinking water without boiling. Just search for its benefits
This is helpful!
I love your blog!!! my interest in local foods and culinary arts takes to all kinds of sites, but I just discovered yours. Thanks for your efforts.
Wow, this is nice. How I wish Ghanaian students will learn these things and know our local spices. GES please do something about this
Thank you Agnes
Please what are the twi names for Thyme and Oregano?
What is the Twi name for turmeric
Please can someone reply this ?
I find your blog very informative.
I needed all these names desperately before i came across yours.
Thanks alot
Thanks!
Woow, nice information, very helpful, thanks, but can u help me with the twi name for paprika
Very educative. Is the yellowish powder that is used for Khebab is Turmeric powder?
Thank you. The spice mix for khebab doesn’t include turmeric. It’s Hausa and known as Tankora or Yaji or Suya spice (Nigeria). It’s based on groundnut powder with red pepper, ginger, etc.
Great details here. I really love the info.
Thank you!
I love this write up
Please what is oregano in Twi
Oregano is not native to Ghana so I doubt that there’s a Twi name for it. But I will let others attempt to answer this one.
Good work. Please I want to know the Twi name for coriander seeds.
Can someone tell me the English name for odiaba?
Africa is now a shame to its own people. Gone of the days , we knew all the names , medicinal and ritual use of these spices mentioned. I cry and weep sour for our next generation. Africa will never value what they have until they have lost it .we have abandoned our own culture and now imitating from the western cultures . We have been enslaved by our own ways . God richly bless you dear for sharing this post . This goes to the senseless people asking names of various spices. Go and ask your grandfather or mother 😂. For the spiritual uses of these spices WhatsApp me :+233542384477
Pls how do we say coriander seeds in twi or Akan?
What’s the two name for tumeric?
What is the Ghanaian name for flax seeds
Whats the english name for odiaba
What language is that? Wedeeaba (two) is calabash nutmeg. Picture in the post. Is that what you are referring to?
This is another magnificent piece of work. But it needs to be taken further, institutions, experts in Ghana need to really document these species.
I also note it strays a little from spices over to other types of species used in Ghanaian (African) cuisine.
I always thought that the grain of paradise were awerewa?
There is also another tiny seed reddish in colour, extremely fragrant and tough similar to fenugreek (Methi).
The Waakye leaves are sorghum leaves and you are right, without this addition it is merely rice and beans, ha ha.
In regard to the fruits being discussed.
I believe the black one is not yooyi but what the Gas call afatoa, they a similar size to large dates rounded and very soft with a thickish (edible) skin with a tamarind like texture and pungent pleasant scent. When you consume them they make your mouth go black.
I understand tamarind is also used asa spice, flavouring particularly for a variation of Hausa beer.
The mini mangoes, shaped like kumquats in Nzema are known as Toane.
You also mention the amazing wild mango seed (Irvingia Gabonensis) (Nigeria- Ogbono) but Asa (asaba, taame) or miracle fruit and similar species also have significant value and health benefits as does bitter Kola (garcinia Kola).
I will quickly list or describe a few other species of fruit/ edible plants, who knows them?:
Creeper leaves that grow in abundance and can be used for soups/stews (Nzema atakunli)
A roundish seasonal fruit with a dull speckled green skin and golden interior (Nzema foane)
Small black pasty tamarind like fruits, with two disc like brown seeds which are stringed on to a reed (Nzema elokuba)
Dwarf dates – (Nzema malehyia)
There are several types of fruits, often from creepers with unknown names;
a. yellowish fruit about size of small onion, with very thick skin and inside translucent silver flesh (like lychee) clustered around several seeds (tastes like peaches and cream)
b.similar to above but deep purple thick skin and the shape and size is similar to a ripe fig
c. reddish/yellow polyps with a nectar and seeds similar to passion fruit inside but resembling rosehips (the Nzema name alludes me for a moment)
d. A deep purple (almost black) torpedo shaped fruit with taste and texture similar to grapes (goes on a bush not vine)
e. a delicate pinkish creeper flower at its centre is a whitish translucent fruit and within that a firm black seed the seed is edible and tastes like dried coconuts
f. This one is difficult to describe a star shape fruit the skin colour and appearance is similar to pineapples, but usually apricot colour, inside the fruit is a translucent silver flesh clustered around several seeds. Red ants always seem to be present on the bush that grows this fruit.
I can share pictures of a few of these if it will help.
Wow. You are a wealth of information. Yes, I would love to create a new blog post using the pictures that you send.
elanke Ndoma means cows tetsicles doesn’t it ?
Kambgunli is the green large bitter egg plant, I believe egg plants in general are ndrowa.
Yes. Which language is kambgunli. Nzema also?
Kamgbunli is the Nzema name for those egg plants.
There is a village named so.
I also recalled the name of one of the ‘fruits’ i had mentioned earlier:
The reddish/yellow polyps with a nectar and seeds similar to passion fruit inside but resembling rosehips (Nzema – Yaako)
I believe that,unriped pawpaw or papaya is not only for softening hard meat but can also be used for preparing soup to replace garden eggs or egg plant.You first have to peel your unripe pawpaw or papaya,remove the seeds in it and chop them into small size,cook it for it soften and blend it .You can then pour it on your steam meat or fish for your soup to replace garden eggs.I learnt this from my grandmother to which is not bitter as some egg plants or garden eggs will be
Please what’s the twi name for cardamom and fennel seeds?