Spices used in Ubulu-Uku community of delta state

Abstract

A study on plant spices used by the people of Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State was carried out to review the abundance of spices and their application in food preparation. Ethnobotanical information were obtained from ten elderly women who were highly knowledgeable in the use of spices in food preparation. Relevant botanical journals and lectures from the Department of Botany, Delta State University, Abraka were also consulted in the identification of spices collected. A total of twenty two (22) plant materials comprising of fourteen (14) families used as spices were recorded to include Amaryllidaceae (1), Annonaceae (2), Apocynaceae (1), Asteraceae (1), Chrysobalanaceae (2), Euphorbiaceae (1), Fabaceae (4), Gnetaceae (1), Lamiaceae (2), Myristicaceae (1), Piperaceae (1), Rutaceae (1), Solanaceae (1) and Zingiberaceae (3). The plants encountered reviewed various life forms of which trees and shrubs had the highest occurring spices with eight (8) plants while herbs had six (6) plants and climber was least with one (1) plant. Seeds comprised of fourteen (14) species while leaves spices accounted for five (5) plants. Rhizomes spices encountered accounted for two (2) plants while those plants whose stem are used as spices recorded a single plant species. The result of this study shows that the people of Ubulu-Uku in Delta State are blessed with numerous plant spices which are essential in food preparation and preservation due to the fact that majority of these spices are cheap and easily affordable.