Uzazi


The term Uziza refers to the dried fruit of the West African deciduous shrub Zanthoxylum tessmannii, syn. Fagara tessmannii, a member of the 'prickly ash' Zanthoxylum family. The name of the spice is derived from Igbo, a language in Nigeria, where the spice is grown and harvested on a commercial basis. Zanthoxylum tessmannii is a close relative of the Sichuan pepper, and Uziza has a similar taste profile to the Asian spice. However, unlike Sichuan pepper where only the pericarp of the fruit is used, uziza is used whole. This may explain why uziza has a spicier flavour and greater pungency than sichuan pepper.
Even in West Africa this is a rare spice, and typically only five or six dried fruit are added to a dish.

Use in cuisine

The whole fruit is pounded to a powder in a mortar and pestle and are added to West African 'soups' as a flavouring. Typically these would be used in soups where few or no chillies are used so that the pungency of the spice comes through.