I roto i te whānau Zingiberaceae nui, kanorau hoki, kotahi te tipu e tū motuhake ana mō tōna reka ahurei me ōna āhuatanga rongoā: ko te Aframomum melegueta, e mōhiotia whānuitia ana ko ngā witi pararaiha, ko te pepa ararikata rānei. Ko tēnei mea kakara, nō Āwherika ki te Hauāuru, kua whakamahia mō ngā rautau i roto i ngā kai tuku iho o Āwherika me te rongoā tuku iho.

He rite tonu te Aframomum melegueta ki ngā kākano iti, pouri, he rite ki ngā kākano pepa, ā, ka tāpirihia he kakara reka, he kakara karaka ki ngā rihi, ka puta he reka ahurei e wehewehe ana i a ia i ētahi atu mea kakara rongonui. He maha ngā wā ka tunua, ka kohuatia rānei ngā kākano i mua i te tāpiri ki ngā hupa, ki ngā marinade, ka tukuna te kakara, te mahana, me te kawa paku.

"He reka matatini, he reka tauhou hoki ngā witi o te pararaiha, ā, ka taea e ia te whakamahana, te whakahauora hoki," te kī a te Kaimahi Kai a Marian Lee, he tohunga kai rongonui e tohunga ana ki te kai Āwherika. "Ka tāpirihia e rātou he kakara motuhake e pai ana te hono ki ngā rihi reka me ngā rihi reka."

Haunga ōna whakamahinga ki te tunu kai, he mea nui anō hoki te Aframomum melegueta mō ōna āhuatanga rongoā. Kua whakamahia e ngā kaiwhakaora tuku iho o Āwherika te mea kakara hei rongoā i ngā momo mate, tae atu ki ngā mate nakunaku, te kirika, me te mumura. Kua whakaatuhia e ngā rangahau hou kei roto i te tipu he maha ngā matū he mahi ārai-pūmua, ārai-mumura, me te ārai-pūmua.

Ahakoa tōna rongonuitanga i Āwherika, kāore i tino mōhiotia ngā witi o te pararaiha i te ao Uru tae noa ki te Waenganui o ngā Tau, i te wā i kitea ai e ngā kaihokohoko Pākehā te mea kakara i a rātou e tūhura ana i te takutai o Āwherika ki te Hauāuru. Mai i taua wā, kua āta mōhiotia te Aframomum melegueta hei mea kakara nui, ā, kua piki haere te tono i ngā tau tata nei nā te pikinga o te hiahia ki ngā kai o te ao me ngā rongoā taiao.

I te haere tonu o te ao ki te tūhura i ngā painga maha o te Aframomum melegueta, e matapaetia ana ka piki ake tōna rongonui me tōna hiahia. Nā tōna reka ahurei, ōna āhuatanga rongoā, me tōna hiranga hītori, ka noho tonu tēnei mea kakara tauhou hei kai matua i roto i ngā kai o Āwherika me te ao whānui mō ngā rautau e haere ake nei.

Mō ētahi atu kōrero mō te Aframomum melegueta me ōna whakamahinga maha, tirohia tā mātou paetukutuku i www.aframomum.org, whakapā atu rānei ki tō toa kai motuhake o te rohe mō tētahi tauira o tēnei mea kakara whakamiharo.