What to use instead of grains of selim
Quick answer
The closest option is Grains of paradise, rated acceptable. The two are constantly confused, are both West African, and are not related — Xylopia aethiopica is in the custard-apple family and Aframomum melegueta is a ginger. Substituting one for the other is therefore a real substitution rather than the same thing under two names, and it is a reasonable one: both are warm, aromatic and pungent in a way black pepper is not. Grains of paradise supply more heat and none of the smoky bitterness that gives a West African pepper soup its edge.
It will not do for: Café Touba, where the specific bitterness is the drink; Dishes where the whole pod is used and removed, since ground spice cannot be taken back out.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Grains of paradise
AcceptableUse: ~0.75× by volume — Three quarters the volume. Grains of paradise are used ground or cracked where grains of selim are used whole and fished out, so the delivery changes as well as the quantity.
The two are constantly confused, are both West African, and are not related — Xylopia aethiopica is in the custard-apple family and Aframomum melegueta is a ginger. Substituting one for the other is therefore a real substitution rather than the same thing under two names, and it is a reasonable one: both are warm, aromatic and pungent in a way black pepper is not. Grains of paradise supply more heat and none of the smoky bitterness that gives a West African pepper soup its edge.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | partial | different | more |
Works for
- Pepper soups and West African broths generally
- Anywhere the pod is one aromatic among several
Does not work for
- Café Touba, where the specific bitterness is the drink
- Dishes where the whole pod is used and removed, since ground spice cannot be taken back out
The confusion between these two names is worth knowing about in itself: a recipe calling for "grains of selim" and a shop selling "grains of paradise" are not offering the same spice.
Black pepper with Green cardamom
SituationalUse: ~0.5× by volume — Half the volume in coarsely cracked black pepper with a green cardamom pod or two. Grains of selim are used whole and removed, so quantities are loose by nature.
Grains of selim are the dried pods of a West African Xylopia, used whole in broths and removed before serving, and their character is musky and bitter with a resinous smokiness quite unlike either substitute. Black pepper supplies pungency and cardamom a warm aromatic lift; neither supplies the bitterness, which in West African pepper soups is doing real work rather than being a flaw.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | partial | different | less |
Works for
- Pepper soups and broths where the pod is one of several aromatics
- Anywhere it is being used for background warmth
Does not work for
- Senegalese café Touba, which is defined by the spice
- Any preparation where the smoky bitterness is the flavour being sought
Cuisine: Grains of selim and grains of paradise are both West African and are not the same spice — the second is a cardamom relative and much closer to a substitute for the first than black pepper is, where it can be found.
Also sold as Senegal pepper, kili pepper and hwentia. Confusion with grains of paradise is common and the two are unrelated plants.