Spices
Black and White Cumin
Ethiopia is one of the east African countries which produce and exports various spices to other countries. Black Cumin is an important stiff annual flowering plant which mainly grows by producers for its seeds. An increasing demand of black cumin seed and oil in local, national and international market for medicinal, consumption and commercial purpose makes the best alternative crop for small holder farmers in Ethiopia. White Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds (each one contained within a fruit, which is dried) are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form. Ethiopian White Cumin Seeds are white seeds of the Ethiopian cumin plant. They infuse an earthly aroma that intensifies upon frying or roasting.
Black and Ethiopia cardamom
Black cardamom seed pods have a strong camphor-like flavor, with a smoky character derived from the method of drying. The plant is native to Tanzania, western Ethiopia (in the vicinity of Lake Tana and Gelemso), southwestern Sudan, western Uganda. It is cultivated in both Ethiopia and Eritrea. In Ethiopian herbal medicine, the seeds are used as a tonic, carminative, and laxative. This Ethiopian cardamom is harvested in the wild coffee forests in Kafa, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, in the southwest of the country. The large, brown pods are dried near an open flame, conferring a slightly smoky flavor.
Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the top listed spices in Ethiopia which produces in the South Nation and Nationality and partly in Oromia states. Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family. It is characterized by poignant tones that are a staple in Eastern African cooking. The pungent and earthy-bitter root has a distinct flavor that is commonly used to enrich alicha recipes and other mild stews and sauces. Apart from its culinary uses, turmeric’s powerful anti-inflammatory agents have long been used for medicinal purposes including aiding digestion, cleansing the skin, and more.
Dry Ginger
Ginger cultivation began in South Asia and has since spread to East Africa and the Caribbean. Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. Most of the commercial production is practiced in SNNPRS by farmers within Kambata-Tambaro, Wolaita and Hadiya zones. Ginger produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice. Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or cooked as an ingredient in many dishes.