8 African herbs and spices that will elevate your cooking

African cuisine is splashed with a complex array of influences, ingredients, and inspirations.

But, as with much of history, the contributions of some groups are under-appreciated, or overlooked.

In honour of Africa Month, below we will look at some of the popular African herbs and spices that will change how you cook.

Many spices grow in Africa and therefore are part of beloved African foods. Spices used in the continent range from the familiar – bay leaves, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and sesame seeds – to lesser-known ones such as cardamom or grains of paradise. Play with African spicing by cooking delicious dishes.

1. Durban curry masala

Durban curry masala is a curry derived from India that found its way to the ports of Durban in South Africa. This spice blend meshes red-hot curry with cayenne pepper and other traditional Indian herbs.

Due to the extreme level of spice, this one is not for the faint of heart. However, if you love heat, you can combine Durban curry masala with meats like chicken or beef or in a stew to add an intense kick to a vegetable or meat dish.

2. Berbere

Berbere is an Ethiopian spice blend full of flavour and heat, made with a combination of spices such as chilli, garlic, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, nigella, fenugreek, and ajwain.

This spice blend can be used in its dry, powdery form, or as a paste, where the powder is combined with oil. It is traditionally used in numerous meat dishes and stews, providing them with spiciness and depth of flavour.

3. Peri-peri

Peri-peri is a South African spice whose name originated from the Swahili word pili-pili which means pepper.

South African cooks use this ingredient to add heat to their servings. These African spices have moderate heat with a savoury flavour. You can make the spice by blending pepper alongside other ingredients such as lemon peels, paprika, and black pepper.

4. Duqqa

Duqqa is an Egyptian blend of herbs, toasted nuts, and spices such as cumin, sesame seeds and coriander.

The combination of these ingredients is ground into a coarse powder which can be used as a salad topping, a dip with olive oil and bread, or as a seasoning.

Its name is derived from the Egyptian Arabic word for to crush or to pound, referring to the method of production.

Duqqa originated as peasant food and people mostly consumed it as a seasoning for bread. Due to its high protein and fat content, it provided sustenance throughout the day.

5. Imphepho (incense)

If you are not familiar with impepho, it is a traditionally important indigenous herb, perhaps best known as a ritual incense used during healing ceremonies.

It has many uses – as an antiseptic, insecticide, anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever. The parts of the plant used are mainly the leaves, stems, flowers, and sometimes the roots.

The flavour of impepho in food is amazing. It brings an incredible, very earthy but smokey taste. You can smoke vegetables and it brings such a beautiful flavour to the vegetables.

You need to play around with it to really get the flavour, but it is deep, earthy, and herby but delicious. It just transforms anything that you cook with it into something that is very special.

6. Bouillon cubes

These are concentrated stock cubes that completely transform West African dishes. Some popular stock cube brands are Maggi cubes and Royco seasoning. These stock cubes are usually found in local supermarkets.

7. Cumin

Cumin is an Apiaceae family flowering plant. Its seeds, which are all contained within a dried fruit, are used whole or crushed in the cuisines of many countries.

Cumin lends its distinctive flavour to chilli, tamales, and various Indian curries. Its flavour has been described as earthy, nutty, spicy, and warm.

Cumin is available as both whole seeds and ground powder and both are used in recipes and are also very helpful in traditional medicine. This historical African spice that has been used for so long is used all over Africa.

Traditions have held great importance and belief that during marriage ceremonies if the couples carry cumin seeds with them their marriage will be blissful. Though it is a great spice to add to your African meal.

8. Grains of paradise

This spice is native to the coast of West Africa. These were once more popular and common than black pepper.

With a rich, earthy flavour and strong peppery notes, they can be used in the same way as peppercorns. This spice also has sweet notes that make it even more versatile than pepper.