African Spice is the generic term assigned to a variety of traditional African spices and their mixtures that have been used and developed in the past and which play an important role in the African cuisine. These spices were either used whole as such or ground, so their powders serve the purpose of lending distinctive flavor and characteristics to the myriad dishes that make up the African Cuisine.
Spices as well as spice powders may be used in soups, stews, curries; in marinades for poultry, fish, and meat. Some of the popular African Spices include-
Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Cinnamon and Nutmeg are spices, originally from the Moluccas (Indonesia) brought to Africa by European traders. These seasonings are commonly used in making five-spice powder.
Clove
The Portuguese carried this spice to the East African islands and today cloves are produced on a large scale in both Madagascar and Tanzania. Other than being a common spice in African cookery, the clove is also one of the ingredients in five-spice powder.
Cumin
Cumin is a seasoning that was originally cultivated in ancient Egypt. It was initially used in the cuisines of northern parts of the continent and subsequently introduced to Central Africa. Commonly used as flavouring agent in sauces created for chicken, fish and other meat dishes.
Tunisian Five-Spice Powder
The above spices - the cloves, peppercorns, and malagueta pepper are ground together. The nutmeg and cinnamon are added and blended well. This is stored in an airtight container and used in small amounts to flavor meat and vegetable dishes.
Yield: 1/4 cup
Curry
Historically, during the time of constructing the railway network up to Uganda, the British imported thousands of Indians to Africa, and it was these immigrants who brought with them the culture of curries, chapattis and chutneys. From the Indians, also came the famous Curry powder, which is essentially a spice mixture (consisting of multiple spices) that came to be commonly used by Africans in vegetable dishes, as also in meat and fish curries.
African-style Curry Powder
This Curry powder is certainly a reflection of the Indian influence on African Cuisine. Created by adding an African twist to the Indian Curry powder, this powder began to be widely used to spice African dishes. These days, it can be purchased commercially; however, most African cooks blend their own spices fresh. African curry powder uses more pepper than the traditional Indian blends.
To make about 1/3 cup, measured amounts of the following ground spices are blended.
After combining all ingredients in a bowl, the curry powder mix is stored in an airtight container/jar in a cool, dry place.