I loko o ka ʻohana Zingiberaceae nui a like ʻole, kū hoʻokahi mea kanu no kona ʻono kū hoʻokahi a me nā waiwai lāʻau lapaʻau: ʻo Aframomum melegueta, i ʻike nui ʻia ʻo nā grains of paradaiso a i ʻole ka pepa alligator. ʻO kēia mea ʻala ʻala, nona ka ʻāina Komohana o ʻApelika, ua hoʻohana ʻia no nā kenekulia i loko o ka meaʻai kuʻuna ʻApelika a me ka lāʻau lapaʻau kuʻuna.

Me kona mau hua liʻiliʻi a ʻeleʻele e like me nā hua pepa, hoʻohui ʻo Aframomum melegueta i kahi ʻala a citrus i nā kīʻaha, e hāʻawi ana i kahi ʻano ʻono kū hoʻokahi e hoʻokaʻawale iā ia mai nā mea ʻala kaulana ʻē aʻe. Hoʻomoʻa pinepine ʻia nā hua a hoʻolapalapa ʻia paha ma mua o ka hoʻohui ʻia ʻana i nā stews, sops, a me nā marinades, kahi e hoʻokuʻu ai i ko lākou ʻono ʻawaʻawa, mehana, a ʻawaʻawa iki.

"He ʻono paʻakikī a ʻano ʻē ko nā hua o ka paradaiso e hiki ke hoʻomehana a hōʻoluʻolu hoʻi," wahi a Chef Marian Lee, he gastronomist kaulana i loea i ka meaʻai ʻApelika. "Hoʻohui lākou i kahi ʻala ʻokoʻa e hui maikaʻi me nā kīʻaha ʻono a me nā mea ʻono."

Ma waho aʻe o kāna hoʻohana ʻana i ka kuke ʻana, ua mahalo ʻia ʻo Aframomum melegueta no kona mau waiwai lapaʻau. Ua hoʻohana nā mea ho'ōla kuʻuna o ʻApelika i ka mea ʻala e mālama i nā maʻi like ʻole, me nā maʻi ʻōpū, ke kuni, a me ka mumū. Ua hōʻike ʻia nā noiʻi hou he nui nā hui o ka mea kanu me nā hana antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, a me antimicrobial.

ʻOiai kona kaulana ma ʻApelika, ua noho ʻike ʻole ʻia nā hua o ka paradaiso ma ka honua Komohana a hiki i ka Middle Ages, i ka wā i ʻike ai nā kālepa ʻEulopa i ka mea ʻala i kā lākou huakaʻi ʻana ma ke kahakai o ʻApelika Komohana. Mai ia manawa, ua loaʻa mālie ka ʻike ʻia ʻana o Aframomum melegueta he mea ʻala waiwai nui, me ka piʻi ʻana o ke koi i nā makahiki i hala iho nei ma muli o ka ulu ʻana o ka hoihoi i nā meaʻai honua a me nā lāʻau lapaʻau kūlohelohe.

I ka hoʻomau ʻana o ke ao nei e ʻike i nā pono he nui o Aframomum melegueta, e manaʻo ʻia e ulu aʻe kona kaulana a me ke koi. Me kona ʻono kū hoʻokahi, nā waiwai lāʻau lapaʻau, a me ke koʻikoʻi o ka mōʻaukala, e mau ana kēia mea ʻala exotic i mea nui i nā meaʻai ʻApelika a me ka honua no nā kenekulia e hiki mai ana.

No ka ʻike hou aku e pili ana iā Aframomum melegueta a me kāna mau hoʻohana like ʻole, e kipa i kā mākou pūnaewele ma www.aframomum.org a i ʻole e kelepona i kāu hale kūʻai meaʻai kūikawā kūloko no kahi laʻana o kēia mea ʻala kupaianaha.