The term Uzazi refers to the dried fruit of the West African deciduous shrub Zanthoxylum tessmannii syn. Fagara tessmannii, a member of the 'prickly ash' Zanthoxylum

Zanthoxylum

Zanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs in the citrus or rue family, Rutaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. Common names include Prickly-ash and Hercules' Club.The fruit of several species are used to make the spice...

family. The name of the spice is derived from Nigerian, where the spice is grown and harvested on a commercial basis. Zanthoxylum tessmannii is a close relative of Sichuan pepper

Sichuan Pepper

Sichuan pepper is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum , widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers...

and Uzazi has a similar taste profile to the Asian spice. However, unlike Sichuan pepper where only the pericarp of the fruit is use, uzazi is employed whole (both pericarp and seed). This may explain why uzazi has a spicier flavour and greater pungency than sichuan pepper.

Even in West Africa this is a rare spice and typically only five or six dried fruit are employed in a dish.

Use in cuisine

The whole fruit are pounded to a powder in a pestle and mortar and are added to West African 'soups' (stews) as a flavouring. Typically these would be used in soups where few or no chillies are used so that the pungency of the spice comes through.

External links

• Recipe for West African 'Cassava Soup' incorporating Uzazi