If you like Maghreb cuisine, you can't escape it! Widely used to enhance the flavor of traditional North African dishes such as tagines, chorba or couscous, ras el hanout is an essential spice in North African dishes. It enchants the palate but also brightens dishes with its colors.

Ras el-hanout, also written raz-el-hanout, is a mixture of spices and aromatic herbs widely used in North Africa. It is available for purchase from spice merchants and souks, in ground or raw form. Its price can vary considerably depending on the ingredients used, ranging from simple to tenfold. Some people sometimes compare it to curry.

Ras el-hanout is a combination of spices carefully measured according to the expertise and creativity of the seller. It is an essential spice for Eid el-Kebir. Also used in certain winter dishes, it adds a refined touch to cooking game.

Etymology of ras el hanout

The origin of the name “ras-el-hanout” comes from two Arabic words “ras” literally “head” and “hanout” which means “grocery store”. The name ras-el-hanout literally translates as “head of the grocery store”, in other words the best of the store or even “head of the gondola”.

There is no standardized recipe for the preparation of ras el-hanout, and there is no controlled designation of origin for its manufacture and marketing. No doubt, wrongly. The terms "Moroccan ras el-hanout", "Algerian" or "Tunisian" are used for commercial advertising purposes and are incorrect. In reality, the composition of ras el-hanout varies from one region to another, even within each Maghreb country, depending on geographical, agricultural conditions and local traditions.

“No protected or controlled designation of origin”

The differences in taste between the different ras el-hanout therefore lie both in the composition and the dosage of each spice. Although blends may vary, certain spices are a must, such as cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, black pepper and turmeric. But the possibilities are endless and that’s what allows you to create, innovate and have fun…

Maghreb curry?

For millennia, the use of curry in cooking in India has been rooted in tradition. Moreover, curry is not a spice strictly speaking but rather a mixture of spices consisting essentially of ginger, coriander, cardamom, cloves, fenugreek (a species of herbaceous and condimentary plant), mustard seed, anise, fennel, garlic, and especially turmeric which gives it its very particular yellow color. It sometimes happens that its composition requires more than forty different spices.

To prepare it, all the spices that make it up are ground and sometimes lightly roasted over the fire with a little fat. Once dried, the whole thing takes the form of a powder. In India, curry is better known as massala , a term which means "mixture" in the Tamil language.

“For the more adventurous, the chocolate/curry combination can truly be a unique experience”

The composition of the curry therefore differs from the North African ras el hanout but it remains just as essential and essential for dishes such as vindaloo, tikka masala, or byriani. More original, curry offers surprising possibilities for desserts. Not only does it go perfectly with exotic fruits, but it also goes well with seasonal fruits that we find daily in our markets such as apples, pears, peaches and even apricots. For the more adventurous, the association with chocolate can truly be a new experience! Which marks a difference with ras el hanout, not (yet) used in desserts. But maybe it's just a matter of time.