Grains Of Paradise | Seeds

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External Websites

• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed - Toxicological evaluation of Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegueta) [Roscoe] K. Schum
• The Spruce Eats - What Are Grains of Paradise?

grains of paradise seeds Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: Aframomum melegueta, guinea grains, melegueta pepper(Show More) Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

grains of paradise, pungent seeds of Aframomum melegueta, a reedlike plant of the family Zingiberaceae. Grains of paradise have long been used as a spice and traditionally as a medicine. The wine known as hippocras was flavoured with them and with ginger and cinnamon. The plant is native to tropical western Africa and to São Tomé and Príncipe islands in the Gulf of Guinea; it is cultivated in other tropical countries. Grains of paradise are exported from Ghana.

Also called: guinea grains, or melegueta pepper (Show more) Related Topics: spice and herb (Show more) See all related content

The seeds are contained in the acid pulp of the fruit and have a glossy, dark brown husk, with a conical, light-coloured membranous caruncle at the base and a white kernel-like structure called an aril. They contain a neutral essential oil and a viscid, brown resin.

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.