Suya Yaji Spice

Rich and luxurious with the smooth flavor of finely ground peanuts, Suya Yaji is street-food spice that is ubiquitous across western Africa and tastes more cashed-up than it is. A humble blend with peanuts at its base, Suya Yaji gets some smoke and heat from the warm, enveloping hug of paprika and the prickling bite of cayenne. Garlic and onion add their sweet pungency to the blend, shoring up the middle ground, while ginger surfs in on their shoulders and manages the citrus-floral top notes. Nutty peanuts, which waved hello at first bite, come in strong at the end. They pair up with salt for a bracing, bold finish. We blend our Suya Yaji in small batches in our facility, to safeguard freshness and flavor in our products.

Yaji, the spice, and suya, the skewers of meat seasoned with the spice, are found all over western Africa, and most likely originated with the nomadic communities that migrated through that region. Migrating with herds of livestock and making use of ground nuts and seasonings as they were available, suya was able to spread easily across that region, with each nomadic group developing their own preferences for the heat and seasoning of the yaji blend. Today, suya are prepared by mallams, vendors who specialize in the preparation of these celebrated skewers, varying the blends they work with depending on whether a blend will be used for marinating or serving; or if it’s spicy for adults, or milder for children.

Allergen alert: This blend contains peanuts.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Suya Yaji is traditionally used to marinate skewers of thinly sliced beef, chicken, or goat, which is then grilled and topped with more Suya Yaji. It can also be used for shrimp or grilled sturdy vegetables, like chunky zucchini or cauliflower. This blend goes beautifully with roasted Brussels sprouts; dust them lightly with Suya Yaji and roast until crisp and brown. Add to a batter for fried food; try it on fried pickles! Toss it over plantains fresh out of the grill pan. Mix this into waffle batter, particularly if you’re making a savory dish like chicken and waffles. It’s a great garnish for pureed soups, like butternut squash. The smokiness of this blend is especially delicious with grilled pineapple or grilled peaches, and it makes out-of-this-world popcorn.

Our Suya Yaji is hand blended from peanuts, sea salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic, ginger, and onion.

Allergen alert: This blend contains peanuts.

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