How Many Of These 6 Incredible African Pepper Dishes Have You Had?

- Advertisement -

Are you looking to add some extra heat and spice to your diet? Check out these 6 incredible African pepper dishes, and tell us how many you have tried.

As an African, you can say that about seven of ten traditional dishes are prepared with pepper, and about five of them are African pepper dishes. Some cultures are known for their love of some of these African pepper dishes.

Pepper is a very key ingredient when it comes to the preparation of a large number of African dishes. A fruit or vegetable as spicy and hot as pepper just had to get its special delicacies, and you are going to get familiar with some of these incredible African pepper dishes.

Before we get into the list of African pepper dishes, let us have an overview of pepper. There are different types of pepper, and they are not all spicy and hot as you might assume.

What Is a Pepper?

Peppers are described as fruit, this is because they grow from a pepper plant and they also have seeds, just like every other plant.

There might be confusion, when there is a discussion about the classification of pepper as a vegetable or a fruit, not to worry, we will look into that.

Is Pepper A Vegetable

Just like we said earlier, peppers possess seeds, and they grow from pepper plants, this is a simple definition of a fruit, which answers the question ‘is a pepper a vegetable’. No, pepper is not a vegetable.

Now that we have covered a few questions commonly asked when it comes to a pepper discourse, let us talk about the different types of pepper.

Did you know that there is more than one different type of pepper? This is amazing because each of these different types of pepper has a distinctive taste from the other types of pepper.

You might think pepper has just one taste and that is hot and spicy, but that is not all true. Peppers are known to add some flavor, hotness, and spice to your meal, but some types of the different types of pepper have a particular flavor that will completely change the taste and even appearance of the dish.

Pepper can be considered to be a very important ingredient in cooking as a good amount of dishes require a type of pepper.

Before we look at the different types of pepper, have you ever wondered what the health benefits of pepper could be?

You eat pepper in at least one meal every day, and you might think they don’t do much to your food, and they do not have much to add to the body and the general health, but that is false. Peppers have a great effect on the health of the human body, this is because they possess so many great health benefits, which you are going to be looking into here at the African food network.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Pepper?

• Pepper helps with the treatment and protection of the digestive tract.
• Pepper is known to help in the promotion of a healthy and better heart.
• Pepper helps in the reduction of the risk of cancer.
• Pepper is a known great treatment for the common cold, flu, and even fungal infections.
• Pepper also helps in the improvement and promotion of metabolism.
• Pepper is known to be of great help when it comes to weight loss.

Nine Different Types Of Pepper

Just like you read earlier, there are different types of pepper and it is important you get to know the different types of pepper.

The First Type Of Pepper Is; CAYENNE PEPPERS

This pepper is tapered and skin and the length of this type of pepper usually range from 3½ to 8 inches.

Cayenne peppers are mostly dried but there is also a fun fact about cayenne peppers.

There is a hybrid version of the cayenne peppers and they are called the ‘super cayenne’. This type of cayenne pepper is considered to be very hot, and they mature very early.

The Second Type Of Pepper Is; RED CHILI PEPPERS

The red chili pepper has a cone shape and is usually 1-3 inches long and they have semi-thick flesh.

The red chili peppers are usually where the chili powder comes from, that is after they undergo some processes like drying and grinding.

A fun fact about this type of pepper is the hybrid chili pepper. The first hybrid of the chili pepper is the super chili.

The Third Type OF Pepper Is; THE GREEN CHILI PEPPERS

This type of chili pepper is quite different from red chili peppers. One of the differences between these two types of chili pepper is the length. Just like you read earlier, the length of red chili pepper is often 1-3 inches long, but the length of the green chili pepper is usually 7-8 inches long.

This type of chili pepper eventually turns red when left on the vine to ripen even more, but when the chili pepper is at the green ripening stage, it can also be eaten.

The Fourth Type Of Pepper Is; THE HUNGARIAN YELLOW WAX (ALSO KNOWN AS THE HOT BANANA PEPPER)

The Hungarian yellow wax is one of the mild-hot peppers. This type of pepper can grow for up to 5-6 inches in length.

The Hungarian yellow wax is usually picked when they are not fully mature, at the stage of maturation, they are usually greenish-yellow in color.

But when the Hungarian yellow wax pepper is left to ripen even further, the color changes to an orangish type of red.

The Fifth Type Of Pepper Is; THE RED CHERRY PEPPER

This is a very hot type of pepper and it often grows about 1½ inches long. This type of pepper is called the red cherry pepper because of the shape of the pepper, which is in the shape of a cherry. This type of pepper is usually eaten fresh, primarily pickled, or pickled.

The Sixth Type Of Pepper Is; THE JALAPEÑO PEPPER

This is a very popular type of pepper in places like Mexico. The jalapeño peppers can grow about 2½-4 inches long, and they also have thick pungent flesh.

The jalapeño peppers are usually harvested when they are not fully ripe, otherwise immature.

When they are at this immature stage, they are usually green, but when they are harvested when they are ripe, they are mostly in the color red.

Fun fact about jalapeño pepper: Did you know that about 200,000 or more pounds of jalapeño pepper seeds are planted annually in Mexico?

The Seventh Type Of Pepper Is; THE RED HOT PEPPERS

This type of pepper is also known as the Capsicum annum and they are also in the Longum group. This type of pepper adds a different and distinctive flavor to the meal, you just cannot miss the taste. Red hot pepper is also one of the hottest peppers, even hotter than the jalapeño peppers.

The Eighth Type Of Pepper Is; PAPRIKA

This type of pepper is usually in a grounded and dry state; They also have a thin wall. Paprika will be sure to give your dish a distinctive taste and flavor that you just cannot miss out on.

The Ninth Type Of Pepper Is; SWEET PEPPERS

This type of pepper is also one of the most popular types of peppers across the world, it is famous for its sweet taste, lack of hotness, and overall amazing colors.

They are usually in the block shape and they have three to four lobes around the bottom of the bell peppers.

Bell peppers are often regarded as sweet peppers because of their taste, and also because they can be harvested at any ripening stage.

When the bell pepper is at the first ripening stage, they are usually at the color green, but as they progress into other stages, the color begins to change to yellow, orange, and green.

There are actually other colors of these bell peppers, they are so beautiful and multicolored, some of the colors of the bell peppers usually come in different colors like red, purple, lavender, chocolate, orange, yellow, green, and red.

This type of pepper is great for baking and cooking, as it would give your dish a colorful look, not to forget the great health benefits and overall sweet and nice taste.

There are other fun and interesting facts about the bell peppers which we are going to look into now.

Fun And Interesting Facts About Bell Peppers

• Did you know that there are some peppers that are sweeter than others? Red bell peppers are known to be sweeter than the other colors of bell peppers, this is as a result of the amount of time left for the red bell peppers to ripen, the riper a fruit gets, the sweeter it is and red bell pepper is said to be the ripest stage of the bell peppers.
• Bell peppers are often used as a treatment for some specific medical conditions like; loss of appetite, swelling, digestive issues, frostbite, and blood circulation.

The use of pepper for the treatment of some of these medical conditions is a very common practice in traditional Chinese medicine.

• There is some type of bell peppers that consists of all the colors (red, green, and yellow), guess what? They are not some special type of bell peppers, they are just green peppers that were left on the vine, leaving the green pepper on the vine for a longer time, making it undergo a continuous ripening stage.

When the pepper is left to ripen on the vine, all the colors begin to show, which is evidence of excess ripening of the bell pepper.

Its being over-ripped on the vine tree gives it some extra flavor and taste, so using this multicolored bell pepper to cook your food will give your meal a tasty and rich flavor.

A rich flavor is not the only benefit of this multicolored bell pepper, a bell pepper left to ripen to that extent is sure to give you some great health benefits that would not only leave you feeling great with your African pepper dish, but you will also be getting the right health benefits that will leave you feeling healthy and enriched with the right nutrients that will help you and your body.

• Talking about the health benefits and nutrients that are present in these bell peppers, bell peppers are known to be very rich in Vitamin C, in fact, one bell pepper has the highest vitamin c levels of any other produce item. Is this not amazing? Remember we said you will be shocked; We will get ready to feel even more with these facts about pepper that will shock you.

The fun does not stop there; One large red pepper is rich in more than 300% of the daily required amount of vitamin C in the body. Do you know what this means? One large red pepper contains three times more vitamin C than an orange. It is almost impossible not to be shocked by this interesting fact about peppers.

This is quite fascinating because the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear vitamin c would be oranges when peppers are the actual king of vitamin C. It is about time we give pepper the accolades it deserved for this rich and amazing vitamin C content.

This does not make oranges any less nutritious, in fact, oranges are also highly nutritious, and you can check out this article that talks about everything you need to know about your orange.

• Remember the fact about the multicolored bell pepper that is left to ripen for a longer period of time, which gives the bell pepper its multicolored feature? Well the riper a pepper, the higher the vitamin C content and other essential nutrients.

This does not mean that the bell peppers cannot be eaten at any ripening stage, in fact, bell peppers can be enjoyed at any stage, it is still very rich in nutrients, but if you want to get more flavor, taste, and overall health benefits, then leaving the bell pepper on the hope to continue to ripen is going to be a very great choice.

• Did you know that bell peppers do not produce capsaicin?

What IS Capsaicin?

Capsaicin is a chemical that causes a burning sensation when there is contact with the tongue. This chemical is mostly produced in peppers and this is the chemical that gives pepper its hot and burning sensation when eaten.

Let Us Talk About The Different Types Of African Pepper Dishes

Just like we said earlier, pepper is a great ingredient and addition to almost every African food, as it has a way of enhancing, improving, and bringing out the spice and taste of your dish, it is only right the African food network gives you great and amazing ideas of some great, delicious, and healthy African pepper dishes.

The First African Pepper Dish on this list of African Pepper Dishes Is; THE AFRICAN PEPPER SOUP

The name of this delicious African pepper dish has practically given the main ingredient of the African pepper dish away. With pepper being the main ingredient for this delicious African pepper dish, African pepper soup is a very popular African pepper dish, it is highly rich in nutrients and it is also a very delicious dish.

One interesting fact about this African pepper dish is its great nutritional properties, this delicious African pepper dish is great for the treatment of the flu. Ever had a cold and your mom fed some hot chicken pepper soup? The cold will leave almost immediately.

Another fun aspect of this delicious African pepper dish is the fact that there are different variations of the African pepper soup and you can enjoy it with any meat of your choice. To get some idea of the different types of meat and how to enjoy them, you can check out this article about the different types of meat, and fun ways to enjoy them, here at the African food network.

There are different types of African pepper soup, and they are;

• Catfish pepper soup
• Goat meat pepper soup
• Cow meat pepper soup
• Chicken pepper soup

This African pepper soup can also be enjoyed with any side of your choice or eaten alone.

There are a few ingredients used for the preparation of this delicious African pepper dish, and they are;

• Ginger and garlic
• Fresh pepper
• Chicken (Any meat of your choice)
• Parsley or basil
• Salt
• Habanero pepper
• Onions
• Paprika

The Second African Pepper Dish On This List Of African Pepper Dishes is; Suya

Suya is considered to be a very popular street food in Nigeria and some other West African countries (if you would love to know more about some amazing African street food, you can check out this article here at the African food network). Most people will tell you the secret ingredient for the perfect suya is the meat, that is false.

The secret ingredient for suya is the pepper, think about it, what is suya without the pepper? That is just meat, which is good but boring.

The point is not to be boring, we are trying to be fun, intriguing, and overall healthy, guess what special ingredient is all of those things? Pepper of course.

There is a special kind of pepper used for the preparation of suya, and it is called Yaji, which is also known as suya pepper. This pepper gives the suya its unique and spicy flavor, no wonder most people find it so irresistible.

You can always find this delicious African pepper dish everywhere around you in Nigeria, you just need to step outside.

If you want to try this delicious African pepper dish at home, you can always check out the recipe for this African pepper dish, and other African pepper dishes here at the African food network.

The Third African Pepper Dish On This List Of African Pepper Dishes Is; African Pepper Sauce

The main ingredient for this delicious African pepper dish is pepper, and it is very popular in West Africa.

This pepper sauce can be enjoyed with any other side dish of your choice.

Just as the name implies, this delicious African pepper dish is very spicy and hot, but also very delicious.

There are a few ingredients used for the preparation of his delicious African pepper sauce and they are;

• Basil leaves
• Seasoning
• Parsley
• Cooking oil
• Salt
• Onions
• Habanero peppers and scotch bonnet pepper
• Tomatoes
• Ginger and garlic

Other types Od Delicious African Pepper Dishes;

• Ivoirian pepper soup
• Potato pepper soup
• Shitor (Ghanaian pepper sauce)

Let Us Have A Quick Recap

Bell peppers are one of the healthiest peppers, this is a result of the great Vitamin C content that they possess, and they are also not as hot and spicy as the other types of pepper, and this is as a result of the lack of capsaicin.

For the fun part of it, you also go to learn about a few African pepper dishes, which is amazing.

You might think you need pepper for almost every African dish out there, but there are some specific pepper dishes that you can always enjoy.

Pepper adds some spice, flavor, and color to your meal, it is something that everyone should get involved with, but remember, not too much.

Just like you have already learned, pepper comes in different colors, sizes, shapes, forms, even flavors, that is what makes it so great.

Remember to enjoy your pepper in a moderate amount, you wouldn’t want to harm yourself with too much pepper, nobody would like that.

Be sure to have fun with these delicious African pepper dishes, you can also explore the world of pepper as much as you want, you can purchase a new type of pepper every week and prepare a meal with the type of pepper, just to see and taste what the meal would be like.

This is a great way to experiment and have fun with your food, you are not just cooking, you have explored the world of flavors and taste, and not to forget, you are also giving yourself some great health benefits.

Trying out the different types of African pepper dishes would also help improve your cooking skills because practice makes perfect.

The more you continue to practice with the different types of pepper, the more you cook, and the more you cook, the more you perfect your cooking imperfections and you start to make new and amazing African pepper dishes from your home or your kitchen. Is this not amazing?