Kola Nut

• Kola nut has a bitter flavor and caffeine and is chewed in many West African cultures, individually or in a group setting. It is often used ceremonially, presented to tribal chiefs or presented to guests.

• Chewing kola nut can ease hunger pangs. Frequent chewing can also lead to stained teeth.

• Kola was originally used to make cola soft drinks, though today most of these mass-produced beverages use artificial flavorings.

• Kola is also grown in Indonesia, Brazil, Jamaica and elsewhere in the tropics as a food item.

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Palm Wine!• Palm wine, also

called palm toddy or simply toddy, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree.

• The drink is common in parts of Africa and South India.

• The sap is collected by a tapper. Typically the sap is collected from the cut flower of the tree. A container, often a gourd or bottle is fastened to the flower stump to collect the sap.

• The initial white liquid that is collected tends to be very sweet and is not alcoholic.

• In some areas, the entire palm tree is felled and the crown exposed to collect the sap. When this method is used, a fire is lit at the root end of the tree to quicken collection of sap.

• Palm sap begins fermenting immediately after collection due to natural yeasts in the air (this is often spurred by residual yeast left in the collecting container).

• Within two hours, fermentation yields an aromatic wine of up to 4% alcohol content, mildly intoxicating and sweet.

• The wine may be allowed to ferment longer, up to a day, to yield a stronger, more sour and acidic taste, which some people prefer. Longer fermentation produces vinegar instead of stronger wine.

• In Africa, the sap used to create palm wine is most often taken from wild date palms such as the Silver date palm, the palmyra (at right), and the Jaggery palm.

Alligator Pepper

• A tropical perennial growing up to 5' tall.The seeds are almost oval in shape, hard, shiny, and reddish-brown in color.

Alligator Pepper!• Originally from West Africa; brought over to U.S.

by the slaves.

• The numerous seeds are in grayish - brown capsules.

• The important part of this plant is the seed; the small reddish - brown seeds have a pungent aroma with a pepper - like heat.

• This spice is has many flavors likened to hazelnut, butter and citrus.

• The kola nut, like the coffee berry and tea leaf, appears to have ancient origins. It is chewed in many West African cultures, individually or in a social setting, to restore vitality and ease hunger pangs.

• In 1911, kola became the focus of one of the earliest documented health scares when the US government seized 40 barrels and 20 kegs of Coca-Cola syrup in Chattanooga, Tennessee, alleging that the caffeine in its drink was "injurious to health".

• On March 13, 1911, the government initiated The United States vs. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola, hoping to force Coca-Cola to remove caffeine from its formula by making exaggerated claims, such as that the excessive use of Coca-Cola at one girls' school led to "wild nocturnal freaks, violations of college rules and female proprieties, and even immoralities."

• Although the judge ruled in favor of Coca-Cola, two bills were introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1912 to amend the Pure Food and Drug Act, adding caffeine to the list of "habit-forming" and "deleterious" substances which must be listed on a product's label.