Asides Scotch Bonnet, What Other Types African Pepper Do You Know

Deborah Olayiwola
Deborah Olayiwola
Deborah is a content marketing specialist, with a passion for the food niche, she writes engaging content that celebrates the joy of food and its power to bring people together. Having worked on different projects. Her curiosity and creativity shines through in her writing.
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When it comes to culinary spices, the African continent is a treasure trove of vibrant flavors and intense heat. African peppers, known for their varied textures, colors, and levels of spiciness, are a cornerstone in many traditional dishes.

From the well-known Scotch Bonnet to the unique Selim pepper, each variety of African pepper boasts its own distinct flavor and heat profile.

In this article, we will explore the different types of African peppers, their names, where they are cultivated, their uses, and their Scoville heat units, which measure their spiciness and how locals use them to craft unforgettable dishes.

What Are African Peppers?

African peppers are a diverse range of chili peppers and spices native to the African continent. Known for their vibrant flavors and varying heat levels, these peppers are integral to African cuisine.

They include the fiery Scotch Bonnet, the smoky African Black Pepper, the spicy Peri Peri, and the mild Tatashe. Others like the Baklouti, Cameroon Pepper, and Shombo (Cayenne) add depth to dishes. These peppers come in various shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of spiciness. They are an integral part of African cuisine.

What Are Popular African Peppers?

  • Scotch Bonnet
  • African Black Pepper/Benin Pepper
  • Peri Peri Pepper
  • Baklouti Pepper
  • Cameroon Pepper
  • Ata Ijosi Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Tatashe Pepper
  • Bell Peppers
  • Pili Pili Mbuzi
  • Piper guineense
  • African Long Pepper

Scotch Bonnet

I’ll start this rundown with the most familiar African pepper: the Christmas-light shaped Scotch bonnet pepper. Known as t’hut nifas in Ethiopia, Kpakposhito in Ghana, Ata Rodo in Yoruba, is a popular pepper in West Africa. It is named for its resemblance to a Scotsman’s bonnet and is known for its sweet, fruity taste and high heat level.

Cultivated in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, Scotch Bonnets range from 100,000 to 350,000 on the Scoville scale. They are commonly used in jerk seasoning, sauces, and traditional stews. The pepper’s distinctive shape and size are said to resemble traditional Scottish bonnets.Scotch bonnets thrive in warm, humid climates with evenly distributed rainfall, rendering conditions in many parts of tropical Africa ideal.

African Black Pepper/Benin Pepper – Iyere (Nigeria/Yoruba)

Moving west, we come across the aptly named African black pepper. The African Black Pepper, or Uda Seed, is a spice indigenous to West Africa. It is not a true pepper but is used similarly in cooking.

Known as iyere in the Yoruba language of Nigeria and Benin where it originates and is mainly cultivated, the so-called Benin pepper falls on the milder side of the Scoville scale, “just” registering around 40,000 heat units.  It has a smoky flavor and is often used in spice blends, soups, and to season meats.

What this West African pepper lacks in spice, it compensates for with an abundance of rich, musky flavor perfect for rounding out sauces and stews. Nigerians sprinkle iyere in everything from meat rubs to snacks like roasted corn and plantain. It is also known for its medicinal properties. The pepper also doubles as a digestive aid; locals commonly chew on the seeds to ease stomach aches and indigestion.

Peri Peri Pepper – Makho khuda (Mozambique)

Peri Peri, also known as Pili Pili or Piri Piri, is a type of African bird’s eye chili that originated in Mozambique and South Africa. It is famous for its use in the iconic Peri Peri sauce. On the Scoville scale, it ranges from 50,000 to 175,000. Peri Peri is not only used in sauces but also in marinades for grilling.

The African pepper is called makho khuda locally, the pepper measures only around 1 inch long but comes loaded with a blistering 175,000 Scoville units.

Peri peris thrive in Mozambique’s tropical climate and soil conditions, where locals harness the little pepper’s explosive spiciness to craft the legendary peri peri hot sauce. A staple condiment across Portuguese-influenced parts of Africa, peri peri sauce spice up everything from chicken wings and fries to classic shrimp dishes. Beyond Mozambique, variants of peri peri sauce pop up on dinner tables and restaurant menus in South Africa, Angola, and beyond.

Baklouti Pepper – Filfil Baklouti (Tunisia)

The Baklouti pepper is common in North African cuisine, particularly in Tunisia. It is a key ingredient in the Tunisian condiment Harissa. The Baklouti is a medium-hot chili, and while not as hot as some other African peppers, it still packs a punch.”Tunisian chili” abroad, the baklouti pepper enjoys pride of place in its native Tunisia, where it’s known reverently as filfil baklouti.

Moderately hot, registering around 40,000 Scovilles, baklouti chilis impart a uniquely sweet, crisp, fruity flavor missing from most other varieties.Growing best in Tunisia’s hot Mediterranean climes, bakloutis frequently flavor Tunisian stews, couscous dishes, and of course, Tunisia’s legendary fiery harissa paste.

Beyond Tunisian, baklouti turns up pickled, roasted and sprinkled atop pizzas from Sicily to the Middle East, contributing its distinctive sweetness to dishes wherever it voyages.

Cameroon Pepper

In Cameroon’s native tongue, this oblong treasure is called oiseau en colère or “angry bird” pepper, a nod to its medium spiciness rating around 50,000 Scoville units. It is also known as Penja Black Pepper, is grown in the volcanic soil of the Penja valley in Cameroon.

It is a white pepper that turns black when dried and has a pungent, spicy flavor. It is often used in traditional soups and stews.Their relatively thin skins make them a cinch to grind for rubs or integrate whole into simmering stews.

The further inland you travel in Cameroon, the hotter these bad boys become to survive the drier conditions. Locals deploy the Cameroon chili’s gentle fruitless and moderate heat to enliven everything from ndole (a Cameroonian stew) to roasted and boiled plantain dishes.

Ata Ijosi Pepper

Ata Ijosi / Ata Wewe / Ata Gungun, these are various names for the same type of pepper in different languages of Nigeria. They are typically small and very hot, used to add heat to dishes without altering the flavor profile too much. By any name, these peppers rate around 12,000 Scoville heat units, landing on the milder end while still packing plenty of fruity, slightly nutty vibrancy.

Ghanians and Togolese often use these small round peppers to make a fiery chili powder called agushi. Agushi adds its addictive flavor and gentle warmth into everything from Jollof rice to stews and meat dishes like suya. For those craving more heat, another variety called ata rodo (“scorching hot” in some dialects) clocks in around 80,000 Scoville units!

Cayenne Pepper (Shombo) – Shombo (Nigeria)

No roundup of iconic global peppers would feel complete without cayenne. In Nigeria, Cayenne pepper is referred to as Shombo it is also where it grows well. It is a moderately hot chili that is dried and ground into a powder. It is used widely in African cuisine to add heat to dishes. Cayenne peppers have a Scoville rating of around 30,000 to 50,000.

Compared to other African chili varieties, shombo skews toward mild, making it an extremely versatile cooking ingredient. Nigerians utilize cayenne powder and the fleshy peppers themselves for everything from egusi stews to suya kebabs and snacks like small chops.

Tatashe Pepper

Tatashe pepper is a mild, sweet chili used in Nigerian cooking. It is often used in combination with hot peppers to add flavor without too much heat. It is a key ingredient in many sauces and stews

The peppers also frequently wind up smoked, dried, and ground to flavorful chili powder. Tatashe delivers the quintessential fiery backbone in both Ghanaian and Nigerian dishes from jollof rice to groundnut soup.

Bell Peppers (Green and Red)

Cooling things down a notch scoville-wise, we’d be remiss not to mention sweet bell peppers, those ubiquitous crunchy staples popping up everywhere from salads to stir fries and sandwiches worldwide. Various types of bell peppers grow remarkably well across Africa thanks to amenable tropical and subtropical climes.

They have a Scoville rating of zero, as they contain no capsaicin, the compound responsible for the heat in peppers.

Pili Pili Mbuzi

Pili Pili Mbuzi, which translates to “goat pepper” in Swahili, is a small, hot chili pepper found in East Africa. It is used to make hot sauces and to season meat and poultry dishes. Pili pili mbuzi is up to 300 times hotter than jalapeño peppers on the Scoville scale according to some estimates–hence its goat association! These tiny round firebombs pack a staggering punch in Tanzanian fare, which has woven them into spice mixes and sauces for generations.

Pili pili mbuzi lends an incredible depth and searing intensity to stews, curries, and spice blends it is mostly found across Tanzania and Kenya.

Piper guineense – Ashanti pepper (Ghana, Nigeria)

For our next pepper, we head back to the tropics of West Africa where piper guineense goes by the common names Benin pepper, Guinea cubeb, Ashanti pepper, African Guinea pepper and others. Similar to to black pepper and cubeb peppers, this West African pepper contributes a highly aromatic, spicy flavor redolent of nutmeg and cloves.

The small, berry-shaped peppers encase dozens of tiny seeds imparting gentle warming heat around 30,000 to 40,000 Scoville units along with exotic fragrance. Locals use Ashanti pepper to enhance the rich flavors of soups and stews throughout the region. The Ghanaian soup palaver sauce calls specifically for this distinctive West African pepper variety to round out its complex savoriness.

African Long Pepper – Chibudubudu (Uganda)

Finally, we close out our pan-African pepper tour with the aptly named African long pepper. True to name, these elongated chili-esque peppers bear the size and spicy character of a cayenne but share more in common genetically with black pepper from the other side of the pepper family tree.

Known locally as chibudubudu in Uganda where it grows well, the African long pepper registers a solid 40,000 to 50,000 Scoville units, contributing a mild, rich pungency with fruity depth ideal for spice rubs, stews and marinades. Ugandans value the pepper not only as a cooking ingredient, but also as a natural mosquito repellent when crushed!

Selim Pepper (Uda, Grains of Selim)

Selim Pepper, also known as Uda or Grains of Selim, is a spice that is often used as a pepper substitute. It has an earthy flavor and is used in spice blends, soups, and to flavor beverages. It is not particularly hot but is prized for its aromatic qualities.

Conclusion

African peppers are as diverse as the continent itself, each with its unique taste and heat level that contributes to the rich tapestry of African cuisine. Across Africa’s many traditions and cultures has distinct pepper form the fiery foundation for an incredible wealth of new flavors to discover with every bite.

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Deborah Olayiwola
Deborah Olayiwola
Deborah is a content marketing specialist, with a passion for the food niche, she writes engaging content that celebrates the joy of food and its power to bring people together. Having worked on different projects. Her curiosity and creativity shines through in her writing.
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