Grains of Selim

I've been curious about grains of Selim, also called kili pepper or hwentea.  It's an African spice that looks like a small, dried pea pod, but it's not related to the pea and bean family at all.  The pods are about an inch and a half long.

Photo from Wikipedia

It's scientific name is Xylopia aethiopica, and it's in the Annonaceae family.  The only other species in that family with which I am familiar are ylang-ylang and the pawpaw, a fruit that I've seen only rarely in the Southern US.

Grains of Selim are used by breaking the pod in half and putting it in stews, especially beef stew, and cooking for a long time.  The pod itself is removed after cooking and not eaten.  Sometimes, the pod is ground up and put into stews.  I've tasted the spice before cooking, and it's not a pleasant taste.  It's very bitter.

So a while back, I made some beef stew.  It started out very watery, so I slow cooked it for more than 24 hours.  I forgot to remove the Selim pod, and I accidentally got one in my mouth.  I was surprised to find it delicious.  Now I understand why it's popular in Africa.  After cooking for a long time in stew, the flavor is very strong and pleasant.  Now that I understand, I'll be using this spice in all my stews.