Guinea pepper is a name for several unrelated
pepper
Pepper(s) may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plants
** Black pepper
** Long pepper
** Kampot pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanacea ...
-like
spice
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
s traded from the general region of
West Africa
West Africa, also known as 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, Gha ...
:
*
Grains of paradise
Grains of paradise (''Aframomum melegueta'') is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. Its seeds are used as a spice (ground or whole); it imparts a pungent, black-pepper-like flavor with hints of cit ...
(''Aframomum melegueta''), from the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), also known as grains of paradise, melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, Guinea grains, ''ossame'', ‘‘ataré’’in Yoruba land, ''fom wisa'', and (ambiguously) Guinea pepper
*
Grains of Selim
Grains of Selim are the seeds of a shrubby tree, '' Xylopia aethiopica'', found in Africa. The seeds have a musky flavor and are used as a spice in a manner similar to black pepper, and as a flavouring agent that defines , the dominant style of ...
, also known as Kani pepper, Senegal pepper, Ethiopian pepper, Moor pepper, Negro pepper, , , , , , , ''kimba'', ''kili'', and (ambiguously) Guinea pepper
** ''
Xylopia aethiopica
''Xylopia aethiopica'' is an evergreen, aromatic tree, of the Annonaceae family that can grow up to 20m high. It is a native to the lowland rainforest and moist fringe forests in the savanna zones of Africa.
The dried fruits of ''X. aethiopica'' ...
'' from the custard apple family (Annonaceae), primary source of the spice most commonly known in the West as grains of Selim
** ''
Xylopia striata'', a closely related source of grains of Selim, with larger seed pods
* ''
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'', ''etiñk ...
'' from the pepper family (Piperaceae), also known as West African pepper, Ashanti pepper, Benin pepper, false cubeb, Guinea cubeb, ''kale'', ''kukauabe'', ''masoro'', ''sasema'', ''soro wisa'', and ''uziza''
{{Plant common name