Pepper of Selim

Selim seeds are a fragrant spice with a strong, sweet and somewhat peppery taste. We discover a superb aromatic palette with notes of ginger, licorice and black pepper. They can be used whole for stews and sauces then ground to add incredible flavors to fish, pork and vegetables. This bay of Selim is absolutely worth discovering for African recipes and discovering creative cuisine.

Pepper Potency: 5/10
Main notes: Licorice and black pepper
Origin: Cameroon

At Comptoir de Toamasina, we offer you Selim Berries, the very aromatic fake Selim Afrique pepper, from the Selim pepper mill, to the bottle, including the pepper sachet per kilo of Selim berry.

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Reference BAS

€6.96

Tax included

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Buy the extraordinary Selim Bay from Cameroon and find out how to use it

The Comptoir de Toamasina, a specialist in rare and berry peppers, invites you to buy Selim berries . This berry is incredible, it will offer a rare and incredible aromatic palette. This is unheard of for a bay. We go on a journey into a temple of flavors, from coconut to nutmeg to musk, ginger and intense and incredible licorice notes. This is a variety that is off the beaten track. We work in Brazil with prestigious restaurants and exceptional pastry chefs and upon discovering this little seed, all of our chefs will have ideas for incredible creative cuisine.

We offer the Sélim pepper mill , a rechargeable pepper mill made 100% in the European Union.

You can buy Sélim berry at the best price per kilo, with our packaging per kilo and sachets from 100 to 500g. It’s a bay you absolutely must discover to take your taste buds on a journey, like the maniguette and the timut .

WHAT IS SELIM BAY ?

Selim berries - what are they? It is a false pepper consisting of black berries packed in a long, thin, blackish, bumpy pod measuring between 3 and 5 cm long and resembling a bean. It's a very fun bay.

Each pod contains between five and eight seeds and the scent is exquisite.

The term "Selim berries" refers to both the seeds and their pods , which are inseparable. They are grouped and very fibrous.

It's a bit like vanilla and Madagascar vanilla .

You should know that it is a dried fruit which comes from a massive tree belonging to the Annonaceae family which grows in Africa, along the banks of rivers in the savannah, and can reach a height of 20m! In Brazil, we have never seen one when we go to the plantations to buy tonka bean and our acai powder .

Production from Selim Bay extends from Senegal to Angola along the West African coast. It's a bit like the Mata Atlantica, the cousin forest of the most beautiful forests and eco-systems in Brazil.

Its fragrance and flavor are extraordinary: all the taste and aromatic characteristics of this spice are concentrated in the fibrous pod, and not in the seeds, which have practically little taste. You do not have to use them. If you buy our pepper mill you will have a mill that will grind all seeds and pods.

On the nose, we first perceive a smell of resin, notes of undergrowth which evolve into a delicately musky and woody coconut note. We also discover a touch of black pepper.

On the palate, the attack is still resinous but fresh, with a scent reminiscent of cubeb pepper , clove and eucalyptus leaf, before evolving towards a taste reminiscent of mace flower and nutmeg , but always with an abundance of freshness, very surprising on the palate.

For the most expert palates you will discover ginger, turmeric and pepper in the berries.

Selim pepper is often smoked, which people say resembles the notes of black pepper smoked during the drying process, giving it an intriguing taste.

GROWING AND HARVESTING SELIM PEPPER

Le Comptoir de Toamasina thanks to Abaçai Vanille Brasil is the French vanilla specialist and offers you videos on growing vanilla when it goes on sale.

We offer you on our blog articles on rare vanillas and even wild vanilla.

Too often in France, you see wild vanilla but only Brazil still has it and it is not uncommon to discover it, particularly in the forests of the Mata Atlantica. Comptoir de Toamasina is a specialist in the world of plants and orchids and you can see our videos on the world of plants and learn everything about growing acai even in arid areas.

But let's talk about this little princess.

Seliom Bay is found around the world under different names, here are the names you can find Selim Grains, Senegal Pepper, Kimba Pepper, African Pepper, Moor Pepper, Black Pepper, Kani Pepper, Kili Pepper, Ethiopian Pepper; Djar (Wolof, Senegal).

Please note, in accordance with the decree of 1945, it is forbidden to call the Bay of Selim, Poivre.

This spice has no relation to the Pepper Family (Piperaceae). Putting pepper is considered a deception.

In Africa, we will use it like a chili pepper but it is much more aromatic.

The tree, reaching 30 meters tall and it is native to much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia, and also in southern Africa such as Tanzania.

Ghana being the largest producer of this berry. It is believed to have originated in Ethiopia, but is particularly important in Senegal on the coast of West Africa.

In Senegal, most dried Selim Berries are smoked during drying to give it a deeper flavor. A bit like our smoked black pepper from China.

In medieval times, this pepper was exported to Europe - until the King of Portugal banned the importation of all peppers and berries except black pepper, of which he had a monopoly.

When you are going to receive the Selim berry by hand, if you do a little examination of the seeds reveals, you will find that the length is relatively uniform with a black color.

Each pod generally contains between 5 and 8 seeds. The fruits are usually a dense group of small carpels on the tree, twisted bean-like pods, cylindrical, dark brown in color with visible outer outlines of

Please note after receiving samples from Selim Bay importer, we found that those from Ghana were generally darker in color and slightly larger. However, the pods of the samples from Nigeria were larger and contained more seeds.

WHAT DO SELIM GRAINS TASTE LIKE ?

This spice will have a woody note, it will deliver a touch of licorice and black pepper to your taste buds . But if we go further you will discover simply incredible notes.

A flavor that will mix smoke with a touch of charcoal from the barbecue, then it transports you to a symphony of flavors from musky to woody, including a minty and floral note.

It's pretty incredible. If you don't know what to replace cardamom with, Selim berry is ideal.

As we explained the fruit grows in small capsules in dense clusters. They look like small, thin, brown pods.

The pod contains around five to eight seeds and is often mistaken for the part of the fruit that offers that intense smoky, floral scent, when in reality it is the shell of the pod that holds its magical aromas. As with Timut and Sichuan , it is the shell of the bay which contains the flavors.

The shell provides most of the flavor, so typically when cooking with this spice, the pods and seeds will be crushed to give the best flavor. When crushed or ground, Selim berries are a great substitute for or complement to black pepper.

If you crack the pod, the seeds have a bitter flavor, which is actually very different from that of the pod, giving off a musky, sweet aroma. Both ground they will create an aroma with extreme sweetness reminiscent of honeysuckle, nutmeg and cloves with underlying notes of licorice, ginger, smoke, lavender and eucalyptus. And once cooked, they will develop a complex, peppery and robust flavor.

Selim Bay is an essential in your kitchen.

HOW TO USE SELIM PEPPER IN COOKING BY CHEF ARNAUD ?

In cooking, this spice is typically used to add a peppery, robust flavor to stews.

We love traditional African cuisine in Nkatsenkwan stew (peanut stew with lamb) as well as in sauces and seasonings.

You can crush it, even grind it or use the whole Selim pod by infusing it. In the western regions of Africa, Selim beans appear in the vast majority of stew recipes, various decoctions like tea, and even in a Senegalese coffee drink called café Touba. For preparation, we recommend toasting the Selim grains before cooking or infusing them so that this spice releases all its flavor.

If you want to use it in drinks, use a mortar and pestle to grind these delicious pods, steep them in water, add a natural sweetener like agave syrup or honey for a flavored tea calming and incredible. You have just made an incredible fragrant black tea . Because it’s ideal with black tea actually.

We also recommend simply breaking the pods and adding them to hot water with dried ginger and cloves to make an incredibly delicious scented water.

You should also know the fabulous recipe for Sobolo, a hibiscus drink infused with herbs and spices.

Besides their use in soups, stews, sauces and drinks, the pods are also smoked, crushed and used in meat or fish.

But, a hot sauce to accompany sushi, samosas is incredibly delicious.

This spice, chef Arnaud, private chef in Belo Horizonte for evenings with friends, will replace mild curry with this pod to make a curry spinach recipe, but here you must crush the Selim berry to bring out its flavors , without ever making it too hot.

To preserve the pungent flavor of this spice, be sure to store it in an airtight container. Also, keep it away from other strong-flavored spices, as these pods can easily absorb flavors. It's a bit like vanilla and Papua vanilla for example which is a chameleon, if you put it next to other spices it will take on the taste of the spice that surrounds it.

OUR RECIPE IDEAS WITH SELIM PEPPER

This unusual “peppery” spice is used primarily in soups or stews. A famous African recipe for West African peanut soup is said to be made remarkably with the addition of this small berry.

The pods are crushed and sprinkled, or sometimes added whole, then removed before serving. The smoked pods are often ground and used as a spice for fish.

We know that this berry gives an incredible touch in gourmet recipes.

Did you know that Selim grains are also added to drinks.

In northern Cameroon, it is one of three spices added to tea . Perhaps its most important use is in the famous coffee drink of Senegal called "Café' Touba".

According to Wikipedia: “Toward the end of the roasting phase of coffee making, Selim beans, known in Wolof as djar, are added while the heat is still on. Roasting continues for about five more minutes; during this time, the sneeze-producing pepper smell becomes easily noticeable. The coffee/djar ratio is 80% coffee to 20% djar. The coffee is then prepared using a filter similar to regular filter coffee.

So imagine this recipe with a coffee from Minas Gerais, Amarelho Bourbon. It's incredible.

To discover Minas Gerais coffee and recipes, discover our blog Recipe for vanilla and spices and travel to the world of flavors with a new recipe every day.

MY 8 FAVORITE RECIPES WITH SELIM SEEDS

From its scientific name Xylopia aethiopica, this berry is ideal for savory and sweet cooking. Guinea pepper is unique and replaces wild pepper and pepper, discover my 8 recipes:

Fish fillet with selim berries and grilled vegetables : Season a fish fillet with crushed selim berries and grill it. Accompany it with a variety of grilled vegetables with a pinch of selim berries. Here, I like the ginger and peppery notes of this berry.
Sautéed Chicken with Selim Berries and Crunchy Vegetables : Sauté pieces of chicken with crushed selim berries, garlic and onions. Add crunchy vegetables like peppers, carrots and snow peas.
Exotic Fruit Salad with Selim Berry Vinaigrette : Make a vinaigrette by mashing selim berries in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pour it over an exotic fruit salad like mango, pineapple and papaya. As you see, this berry replaces vanilla and much more.
Marinated Tofu with Selim Berries and Lime : Marinate cubes of tofu in a mixture of crushed selim berries, lime juice, soy sauce and grated ginger. Grill them or bake them.
Shrimp with Selim Berry and Coconut Milk Sauce : Prepare a sauce by browning crushed Selim berries in coconut milk with garlic, ginger and chili pepper. Add peeled shrimp and simmer until cooked. Ideal to replace traditional curry and tandoori.
Chocolate Selim Berry Cake : Incorporate ground selim berries into the chocolate cake batter for a unique, spicy flavor. Serve it with chocolate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. On my blog, discover the best recipe for runny heart fondant.
Cream cheese spread with selim berries and fresh herbs : Mix crushed selim berries with cream cheese, fresh herbs like parsley and chives, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spread this spread on slices of toast or crackers.
Stir-fried rice with vegetables and selim berries : Stir-fry cooked rice with seasonal vegetables and crushed selim berries. Add a drizzle of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil for added flavor.

For more recipes, it's on my YouTube channel and on my blog.

HOW TO STORE SELIM PEPPER ?

Selim berry should be stored dry, away from light and any temperature shock. All of our packaging is suitable for the conservation of this exceptional berry.

If you want to know everything about preserving spices, discover our series of reports on our blog and YouTube channel, particularly the conservation of vanilla.

BUY SELIM BAY AT THE BEST PRICE PER KILO

Le Comptoir de Toamasina offers the purchase and sale of Selim bay by the kilo.

After purchasing a bottle of Selim berry to see our Selim pepper mill , it is not uncommon for us to wish to have a greater quantity of this exceptional berry.

So, Comptoir de Toamasina suggests you buy Selim bay by the kilo . We have different formats to satisfy the most demanding restaurateurs and individuals who love pepper and berries.

Buy Selim berry at the best price per kilo in our packages from 400g, 1kg of Selim berry and up to 5kg. Discover the best value for money in Selim Bay.

We are preparing to film our video on Selim Bay but to wait, we offer you the takeoff, a video about the start of the ranger expedition in Brazil.