West African cuisine: 7 essential aromatics

West Africa is a large region with many countries, and even more languages. So many of these ingredients have multiple names. This often makes it difficult to find and buy them. Below are the 5 aromatics with all their different names. 

Uda | Selim pepper | Xulopia oethiopia | Kili pepper

This is the sun-dried fruit of the xylopia tree, which grows in the savannahs and forests of Senegal. The pods themselves impart an aromatic, slightly bitter flavour. But the kernels are more likely to provide a bitter and spicy punch.  

Uda finds its way in both sweet and savoury dishes. For example, guest chef Ayo Adeyemi makes an uda ice cream. Traditionally, it is used in shito, soups, stews, and porridge.

To achieve the most flavour, crush the pods just before use. You could also bundle them with other spices and incorporate them into a stew. 

Aridan | Prekese | Tetrapleura tetraptera | Uhio

What is locally called aridan is the fruit of the tetrapleura tetraptera, popularly called aridan tree. In West Africa, aridan is also known for its medicinal properties. This fruit has a sweet, slightly bitter flavour.

Aridan is used as a spice to flavour soups like palm nut soup, banga soup or pepper soup, as well as sauces like taro leaf sauce. Guest chef Ayo Adeyemi uses aridan in a dessert sauce, aridan sada.

You could either infuse a whole aridan in a stew, soup, or other preparation. Or use the powdered version. When you zest the dried fruit, it results in a very powerful flavour. You only need a little to add the taste of aridan to your preparation.

Piri piri pepper | Peri peri |African bird’s eye

Piri piri literally means spicy spicy. No wonder it scores 225.000 SHU on the Scoville scale. This pepper grows in the wild and is found across the entire continent of Africa. It is, obviously, the go to pepper for piri piri dishes.

So, the flavour is mostly... spicy. Chef Ayo definitely uses it for that purpose, to add spice. For example in a pepper rub and a delicious yayi, a spice mix, with scallop roe.

Penja pepper | Piper nigrum

Penja pepper is grown in Penja, Cameroon, where it’s harvested and sun-dried in an authentic and artisanal way. This makes it a rare spice. Penja's volcanic soils give the white pepper its fresh aromas of menthol and camphor.

Guest chef Ayo has two recipes in which this pepper steals the show. His penja pepper rub is a delicious meat rub. In the penja ehuru sauce, the pepper enhances the earthy flavour of the mushrooms. To achieve the most flavour, grind Penja pepper just before use. 

Ehuru | Gourd nutmeg | Pèbé | Jamaican nutmeg

Ehuru is the seed from the fruit of the gourd tree. The fruit can grow up to 40 cm in lenght! Despite its name, it’s not a substitute for the 'normal' nutmeg. It has a distinct aroma; sweet, woody and peppery.

This flavour goes perfectly with African dishes like Kondres, a dish of plantain, or Ewu, stewed goat. But the best-known serving suggestion is in pepper soup, in which the aridan can be found as well. Take a look at this smoked pumpkin ehuru ice cream by guest chef Ayo.

Use only the inside of the seed, or roast them whole and then grind. 

Beyond these five ingredients, Chef Ayo's West African recipes often feature two fundamental recipes. The foundation of his menu is built upon fire, spice, and umami, and these recipes contribute significantly to the last two components. As a result, they are present in almost every one of his dishes, emphasizing the importance of a strong culinary base.

In West African cuisine, hot sauce is widely used. To give each dish its own spicy twist, create your own hot sauce. Ayo makes a kani hot sauce. With a base of scotch bonnet pepper, it’s incredibly spicy, a key recipe in Akoko's kitchen.

In Yoruba, omi eran means broth, an essential ingredient in West African dishes for the base of stews and sauces. Umami is an integral flavour profile for this cuisine and using this broth enhances and prolongs the flavour quality of a dish.

Akoko chicken stock is a concentrated version. Adding a ton of umami using just a small amount. It adds some spice as well, as the kani hot sauce is used as an ingredient.