Tena'adam

Tena'adam is a spice from classic Ethiopian cuisine, and one of the ingredients of an authentic berbere. The leaves of the winter rue have been used against poisonous snake bites since Roman times.

New harvest (finally available again :-)

T'ēna ādami ጤና አዳም is the Amharic name for the leaves and fruits of the winter rue or Ethiopian rue, also written as Tena'adam or Tenaadam. Tena'adam means 'the health of Adam' and is illustrative of the traditional use of the plant as a medicine.

The leaves, just like the berries, belong to the nine essential spices of Ethiopian cuisine. These are: korarima, a type of cardamom, ginger (zinjibel), fenugreek (abish), turmeric (ird), Ethiopian thyme (tosegn), cumin (tikur azmud), clove (krenfud), black pepper (kundo berbere) and this tena'adam.

Winter rue or Ruta chalepensis is a yellow-flowering plant in the rue family, which also includes citrus fruits and Szechuanpeppers belong. The genus name Ruta refers to rutin in the plant sap, a bitter substance. It is a flavonoid that also occurs in citrus fruits (especially in the peel and seeds), in rhubarb, in tea and onions, and in medication for relaxing blood vessels.

In antiquity, rue was primarily a medicinal plant, but around the beginning of the Common Era, Apicius already describes how it was used in recipes for gravies and sauces for hare, fish, and poultry. Abu Muhammad al-Muthaffar ibn Nasr ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq, author of the earliest known Arabic cookbook, Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ (the book of dishes) from the tenth century, also used it as a flavoring.

The leaves are popularly used in bitters and liqueurs, such as in raki in Croatia and grappa (alla ruta) in northern Italy. Together with the leaves of the coffee plant (Ethiopia is a coffee country par excellence), the leaves form 'kutti', coffee leaf tea, a name of Indian origin. Kutti-kal is the name fundamentalist Gandhians gave to coffee, more addictive than beer or wine. It means 'junior alcohol'.

The berries, just like the leaves, are used in the preparation of berbere, the famous Ethiopian spice blend, in which, since the discovery of South America and the introduction of chili,peppers precisely these have come to dominate. Before that, the sharpness of berbere was the sum of sharp ingredients, including the fruit of the winter rue.

Scent and taste

Some of the fragrances and flavorings (essential oils) in tena'adam:

• 2-undecanenon, eucalyptus
  
• 2-heptanol acetate, grassy, ​​citrus
• ethyl butanoate, pineapple flavors, cognac
• α-pinene, the aroma of woody pine scent, as in cumin, pine (pine cone), juniper and hemp,
• 2-nonanon, cheesy and waxy and sweet, like coconut
• nonen-1-yl acetate, tropical fruit: kiwi, honeydew melon, pear
• E,E-farnesal, smells like flowers and mint

Usage

The fruit, a seed capsule with four or five lobes, contains about ten edible seeds. The fruit is ground whole and used as a spice or rub.

Tena'adam cannot be compared to any other spice. It has a complex aroma in which passion fruit and tropical fruit are recognized, which is why the fruits are also known as passion beanies or passionberries be mentioned.Passionberry is also the name of the Australian bush tomato, hence our preference for the Ethiopian name, which moreover does justice to the country of origin.

Tena'adam is delicious in combination with shrimp, chanterelles, asparagus, boiled fish and poultry (and the accompanying creamy sauce), fried fish, game (hare, deer, or wild boar) and poultry, grilled vegetables and fruits such as pear and mango, and vanilla ice cream.

Features:

• 100% berries of the Ruta chalepensis
• origin: Ethiopia

Assortment

• available in glass and stand-up pouch (no test tubes)
• 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.

Save:

• store your tena'adam in a closed package
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before December 2027 (12-2027)
• This expiration date is an indication.

Batch number BM610430

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item originated from. It is listed on the packing slip and the invoice.

Pregnancy (precautions)

Since antiquity, rue has been used to induce menstruation during pregnancy. And this is still done today. Hence the advice not to use rue when you are pregnant, and certainly not in high concentrations. The same applies to consuming the leaves.