The term Uzazi refers to the dried fruit of the

West African West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, ...

deciduous shrub ''

Zanthoxylum gilletii ''Zanthoxylum gilletii'', the East African satinwood, is a tree species in the genus ''Zanthoxylum'' found in Africa. The fruits are used to produce the spice uzazi. Chemistry The alkaloid nitidine can be isolated from the plant. The amide alk ...

'', syn. ''Fagara tessmannii'', a member of the 'prickly ash' ''

Zanthoxylum ''Zanthoxylum'' is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and climbers in the family Rutaceae that are native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. It is the type genus of the tribe Zanthoxyleae in ...

'' genus. The name of the spice is derived from Igbo, a language in Nigeria, where the spice is grown and harvested on a commercial basis. ''Zanthoxylum gilletii'' is a close relative of the Sichuan pepper, and uzazi has a similar taste profile to the Asian spice. However, unlike Sichuan pepper where only the pericarp of the fruit is used, uzazi is used whole (both pericarp and seed). This may explain why uzazi has a spicier flavour and greater pungency than sichuan pepper. Even in West Africa this is a rare spice, and typically only five or six dried fruit are added to a dish.

Use in cuisine

The whole fruit is pounded to a powder in a mortar and pestle and are added to West African 'soups' (stews) as a flavouring. Typically these would be used in soups where few or no chillies are used so that the pungency of the spice comes through.

References

*Celtnet Spice Guid

(accessed July 20 2007)

External links

Recipe for West African 'Cassava Soup' incorporating Uzazi
African cuisine Spices Igbo words and phrases Zanthoxylum {{spice-stub