Igi-ata

In Africa, several species of Zanthoxylum grow, a plant genus to which the Asian Szechuan also belongs.pepper belongs. One of those species is Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides, which grows in West Africa and is called Yoruba igi-ata in Yoruba, which means treepepper means. Less fragrant than the Asian varieties perhaps, even a little bitter, but truly African.

Other names are baies gangshu, baies de Malam, and Bakumba pepper (after the regional name Bakumba) or Bamenda-Banso pepper, Unpleasant a more northerly region in the high mountains.

Exclusive!

In Africa, there is in any case on a very limited scale pepper renovated, and that certainly applies to the SzechuanpepperIn Nigeria, uzazi (Zanthoxylum gilletii) is grown on a small scale, but that is as far as it goes regarding citrus cultivation.peppers concerns. All other citruspeppers are picked from trees and shrubs in the wild, like this one, which grows in Bakumba, an area in southwestern Cameroon where Yoruba is spoken, hence the name igi-ata, here also referred to by the French 'baies (de) Ganshu' ganshupepper named.

It is a pepper which you hardly see on the European market, for a number of reasons. Because it is a difficult fruit to pick, and therefore relatively expensive, and because export is quite difficult. Moreover, the taste and aroma of the igi-ata are not uniform. These can vary considerably from harvest to harvest, from region to region, perhaps even from tree to tree; experts are not yet in agreement on this. Sometimes the citrus aromas predominate, sometimes the camphor, and not everyone is charmed by the bitter notes.

This is caused by the seeds, which, just like with the andaliman, are more bitter than the fruit wall.

The igi-ata is a shrub or tree that grows to about six meters tall and is heavily branched. For West Africans, the tree has traditionally been more important as medicine than as food, and for that reason, the population of the species is under pressure in some countries, such as Benin.

Like other Zanthoxylum plants, the stem and branches of the igi-ata are equipped with thorns. Thick, woody thorns on the stem that develop a corky outer layer during growth, and vicious, sharp thorns on the branches. Just like the leaves of the uzazi, even the leaves of the igi-ata are equipped with thorns. They are located in the center of the leaf.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Characteristic of all Zanthoxylumpeppers, and therefore also for this Szechuanpepper is the tingling you experience on the tip of your tongue caused by a substance in the pepper which is called sanshool, named after the Japanese sanshō. The pungency is caused by the amides in the skin of the fruit: α-, β-, γ- and δ-sanshool, α-hydroxy sanshool and β-hydroxy sanshool. γ-sanshool and α-hydroxy sanshool are primarily responsible for the narcotic effect. The amount of α-hydroxy sanshool in the berries can reach (well over) 50‰ of the dry weight, while that of γ-sanshool is around 5‰.

The tingling is accompanied by a mild numbness, jokingly compared to tasting a 9-volt battery. A single berry is enough to experience this! This somatosensation, stimulation by touch, has been used for centuries as an anesthetic in traditional Asian medicine. Its mechanism of action is very complex and the subject of extensive studies. Hydroxy-α-sanshol, in particular, is thought to cause the tingling, and there are certain parallels with the sensation of sharpness caused by capsaicin, the pungent substance in chili.pepper, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Scent and taste

In Igi-ata the citrus scent is that Szechuanpeppers The characteristic is barely present, and the seeds even taste pleasant, and less bitter than the seed hulls can be. The sharpness is generally not too bad (or bad), depending on how you look at it, and is more subtle than prominent. This is merely an anthology from the broad spectrum of tastes:

• sabinene, responsible for the woody, camphor-like flavor of black pepper
  
• β-myrcene, spicy aroma, with notes of fruit (mango, grape, peach) and mint,
  
• germacrene D, spicy and woody,
• D-limonene (dipentene), sweetish orange flavor, occurring in modest amounts in nutmeg, mace, and cardamom
• β-caryophyllene, sweet, spicy and woody
• decanal, associated with the bitterness of grapefruit and orange peel, also found in buckwheat and coriander

Use igi-ata with products that pair well with citrus, such as shellfish, white fish and chicken, plantains (traditional use), and other fruits.

Usage

Crush the fruit to release the seeds. These are easier to grind than the seed husks, which are best ground. Just like the whole berries (with seeds). Process igi-ata as follows: Rub the berries between your hands so that the seed husks, seeds, and stems separate. Remove the seeds if you do not want the bitterness, and grind the pepperYou can also put the stems and seeds whole in a bag and cook or simmer them along with the dish. After cooking, simply remove the bag from the dish.

Igi-ata is less widely applicable than the Chinese Szechuanpepper, due to its robust flavor profile. It lends itself best to typical African dishes, such as soups and stews, provided there are not already large amounts of ata-rodo (chili) in them.pepper) has been added to. That would this subtle pepper Pushing to the background. Igi-ata also pairs excellently with (bitter) leafy greens.

Features:

• 100% berries of the Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides
• origin: Ganshu, Bakumba region, Cameroon

Assortment

• available in glass jar (30 grams), stand-up pouch and sample sachet (approx. 5 grams)
• Larger quantities on request

Gift packaging

• The jar is available in tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper.
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section.

General advice

• Igi-ata is a Szechuanpepper with a typical African signature, primarily for use in African dishes or more generally in fairly robust dishes, the spiciness is moderate
• save the pepper in a dark, dry and cool place
  

Save:

• Keep your igi-ata in a closed package.
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before November 2026 (11-2026)
• This expiration date is an indication.

Would you like to know what Igi-ata tastes like?