Guinea pepper
- noun
:
pimienta de Guinea
- The chef added a pinch of Guinea pepper to give the dish a unique, spicy flavor.
Examples
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In traditional remedies, Guinea pepper is valued for its supposed medicinal properties.
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Traders imported Guinea pepper to Europe during the Middle Ages as an exotic spice.
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I added Guinea pepper to the stew for extra flavor.
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Have you ever tried Guinea pepper in your cooking?
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The chef added a pinch of Guinea pepper to give the dish a unique, spicy flavor.
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In traditional remedies, Guinea pepper is valued for its supposed medicinal properties.
-
Traders imported Guinea pepper to Europe during the Middle Ages as an exotic spice.
Synonyms
Small peppery seeds from a West African plant used as a spice
A West African seed used as a strong, spicy flavor for food
A West African plant whose spicy seeds are used to flavor food
A West African spice made from small peppery seeds
How Pungent
- US
- US
9
1.0
21
1.0
- US
21
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase names a type of pepper associated with Guinea/West Africa, so a learner who knows 'Guinea' (a place) and 'pepper' (a spice) can readily infer it is a West African spice. Although the precise botanical identity (Aframomum melegueta) is specialized knowledge, the general meaning is compositionally transparent and follows common place + noun naming patterns.
Etymology
Guinea pepper may come from old trade when European merchants brought a hot spice from the coast of Guinea in West Africa. Because the seeds were sharp and hot like black pepper, people used the words Guinea and pepper together, so the name came to mean this West African plant used as a 'spice' and in 'medicine'.