Collection: On a voyage of discovery

Every now and then, we come across a product known only from literature, such as the African 'Szechuan pepper' igi-ata, also known as ganshu pepper. In home cooking, you discover the possibilities, but sometimes you also notice remarkable differences compared to similar products from other regions. For instance, you could call igi-ata the ultimate rustic spice, even coarse, compared to refined relatives like the Japanese sansho pepper or the Chinese flower pepper. Yet it is also very recognizable; just compare igi-ata with andaliman, which, like igi-ata, is only available in clusters for practical reasons.
Another completely different spice is Ceylon cinnamon from the African forest. Shards of the bark—not so different in themselves—but rustic in taste, less refined than the Ceylon cinnamon we get from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon).