Spices & Custom Blends

The Bell Pepper! It goes by different names across the continent: Tatashe in Nigeria, Pilipili Hoho in Swahili, etc. These come from the specie called capsicum annum and sometimes are also known as the Romano peppers. They are the African paprika and can be found in different colours, but the defining characteristics of the Nigerian Tatashe are the distinct red colour, and the elongated, shape. They have a thinner flesh than ordinary bell peppers and have a much fuller flavour.

Also known as English pepper, Isawumi, Ose Oyibo, Ata-Rodo, Boney pepper or Carebbien red pepper, is one of the hottest and most loved of all commercially grown chili peppers in West Africa. It has a stouter shape and is widely used in cooking either fresh or powder due to its surprisingly distinctive flavour and high heat levels.

Widely used and generally originating from the Cameroon region, this is a lesser ripped scotch bonnet thus changes the flavour and the heat level as compared to the fully ripped ones. They are either smoke dried or sun dried giving it a highly aromatic flavour and it dark colour.

The Cayenne pepper, the most popular and common red chili originating from the Western parts of Nigeria. It is small but skinny and elongated chili pepper with round tips and somewhat rippled skin. These are used in almost all the dishes and also as an herbal supplement.

Nigeria being one of the highest producers of this root crop in the world is known for high quality and easy availability across the year. It has a deep orange-yellow colour widely used as colouring and flavouring agents in food preparations and also used in medicinal ways due to its anti-septic properties.

Ginger is a popular herb and spice and is commonly used in several foods and delicacies, ginger appears to have many medicinal applications as well. This is a common crop in West Africa, widely grown in the northern belt of Nigeria.

A perfect blend of various aromatic herbs and spices, broadly used in many of the African dishes and rice preparations. It is a deep golden brownish powder rich in flavour and aroma. Zaika Foods Limited has developed its own formulation of this spice mix.

A West African spice that gives both pungency and a spicy aroma to the soups and dishes. The reason for this spice’s common English name becomes apparent as the seeds have a papery skin enclosing them and the bumps of the seeds within this skin looks like an alligator’s back.

Other names are Jamaican nutmeg, African nutmeg, ehuru, ariwo, awerewa, ehiri, airama, African orchid nutmeg, muscadier de Calabash and lubushi. This is a very native spice common in many African countries having a similar yet different taste of nutmeg. It is used to flavour various savoury dishes as well desserts.

Uziza is an African plant that gives two parts, the leaves and the seeds, the spice is obtained from its dried fruit part. This is a very aromatic spice that comes from the Piperaceae family giving a hot slightly bitter taste and aroma to the food.

It is commercially grown in tropical rain forest of some western central African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Congo and Senegal. It is a large round fruit and has a rough sand paper like texture on the shell and kernel. The seed moves freely inside a shell which is ground as a spice and is used in many food preparations, commonly used in pepper soup.

Grains of Selim, the famous African pepper, are the wild seed pods of African shrubby tree, grows throughout tropical Africa. It tastes moderately piquant, musky, fragrance of smoked herbs with notes of bitter cocoa. Traditionally used to replace common black pepper and in African spice blends.

This spice is commonly found near sea beaches and inlands of tropical Africa. It is known for its uses in soups giving it a unique sweetish flavour profile, it is also known to be used in some local desserts and beverage production.

Also known as ‘Prekese’ in the Twi language in Ghana, this spice is native to West Africa and is derived from a species of a plant in the pea family. The long winged fruit pod consists of hard and soft edible wings. The soft edible wing having comes in the sweet spice category is widely used in palm wine production as well used in kitchen in many soups and sauces.

Made from dried crayfish, is used in a form of spice or flavouring. This is known to be most loved spice because it gives that traditional flavour to all ethnic West African food, mostly used in cooking soups, stews, rice or any other kind of savoury dish.

Dehydrated garlic flakes ground into powder, sourced in various regions of the world to make sure only the best quality is available for supply.

Fine powdered dehydrated onion flakes. It is a common ingredient in various seasoning preparations in the kitchen.

Roasted & ground in-house, it is derived from supreme quality coriander seeds. It adds a mild flavour and a pleasing aroma to sweet and savoury food preparations.

The king of spices, derived from the grinding whole black peppercorn which come from a flowering plant in the Piperaceae family. This is the most treasured spice in the world.