Mbongo (grain)

Mbongô (mbongo), also known as alligator, comes from West Africa pepper is named after its appearance. The dried seed pod contains a 'scaled' palette of tiny seeds, reminiscent of grains of paradise, encased in fragile, hardened jelly.

The mbongô grows on a two-meter-tall shrub in the ginger genus, which, like many ginger species, has rhizomes. Just above the ground, it produces trumpet-shaped, green flowers that appear to emerge directly from the ground. They quickly fall off to make way for 10-cm-long fruits.

These are seed pods, filled with dozens of seeds in a jelly-like liquid. After drying, the seeds can be freed from their capsule. This is done exclusively by hand. The seeds are about 3 mm in size, shiny, and deep brown. Curiously, they have little to no odor, but all the more so after being ground.

Our Mbongô comes from Cameroon, where the spice is used in many famous dishes, such as Mbongô tchòbi, fish in black sauce. The spice is also used in other West African countries, especially in peppersoops.

Related spices include grain of paradise (Aframomum melegueta) and Madagascar cardamom (Aframomum angustifolium). The former is quite common, the latter very rare.

Mbongô is one of the four local peppers in the famous Nigerian peppersoep nwo-nwo, together with Ashantipepper (uziza), selim pepper (uda ewentia) and gourd nutmeg (ehuru).

Smell and taste

The seeds have a delicious, almost overwhelming fresh scent of lemongrass (sereh), which remains hidden until the seeds are ground. They are quite pepperig, like paradise grain. In terms of composition, the essential oil in mbongô is similar in many ways like cardamom, and also like ginger. Some of the flavor and scent determining essential oils in mbongô are:

• citronellol, the scent of lemongrass
• afromodial, the unsaturated dialdehyde that causes the sharpness,
• 1,8-cineole, eucalyptol, the refreshing taste of mint
• β-pinene, woody pine scent, as in cumin, pine cone, juniper berry and hemp,
• α-terpineol, sweet floral scent like lilac.
• sabinene, responsible for the woody, camphor-like flavour of blackcurrant, among other things pepper and nutmeg
• β-myrcene, spicy aroma, with notes of fruits (mango, grape, peach) and mint,
• α-caryophyllene (humulene), hops, as in beer and cannabis
• d-limonene, citrus, orange aroma

Usage

Mbongô can literally be used in any dish, even in cooked rice or pasta, but preferably in a palette of West African spices and herbs such as with gourd nutmeg, ashantipepper, paradise grain, selim pepper, cubebpepper, ginger, garlic nut, and African mint. Each one a flavor enhancer from the fascinating West African gastronomy.

Grind - or mortar - the seeds shortly before use, after having first roasted them briefly.

Features:

• 100% seeds of the Aframomum danielli
• origin: Central Cameroon

Assortment

• available in glass (60 or 75 grams), stand-up pouch and test tube (10 ml)
• larger quantities on request

Gift wrapping

• The jar is available in a 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

• times the pepper at the last moment to make the most of the aroma - preferably toast briefly first

Save:

• save your mbongo pepper in closed packaging
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before June 2027 (06-2027)
• This expiration date is an indication

Batch number

The batch number helps us track which batch an item originates from. It's listed on the packing slip and invoice.