Ras el Hanout — The Mother of Spices

What makes Ras el Hanout so unique?

There is no fixed recipe for Ras el Hanout. Traditionally, the spice master — the Ommi — chooses the very best spices she has to hand at that moment. It is a reflection of her craftsmanship, her fine nose and her family tradition.

Where a standard supermarket mix often contains only 5 or 6 cheap ingredients, with plenty of salt and fillers, a top-quality authentic Ras el Hanout can contain anywhere from 20 to more than 30 different spices — brought together in perfect proportion and ground silky-fine.

The magical ingredients

A gastronomic Ras el Hanout strikes a subtle balance between warm, earthy, sweet and just a hint of heat. The mamas' base consists of a secret layering of, among others:

• Warm & earthy notes: cumin, coriander seed, turmeric, ginger and galangal
• Sweet & luxurious aromas: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice, star anise and nutmeg
• Floral touches: sometimes even precious dried rosebuds or lavender are added

Ommi's secret in the soup bowl

Nothing brings a family together faster than the aroma of a steaming bowl of soup on the table. Whether you are making a traditional harira that simmers for hours or an elegant soup of roasted autumn vegetables: our Ras el Hanout gives the soup its soul.

• Harira (the Ramadan soup): this soup of veal, tomatoes, chickpeas and lentils calls for the warm layering of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. One generous tablespoon brings all the fresh herbs, such as coriander and celery leaf, together into one harmonious whole.
• Chorba: in this lighter, spiced soup with cracked wheat or vermicelli, the Ras el Hanout cuts beautifully through the richness of the meat or the tomato base.
• Roasted pumpkin or carrot soup: the sweet, earthy notes pair perfectly with the cinnamon, nutmeg and rosebuds in the blend. A small spoonful before blending gives the soup a mysterious, elegant depth.

Prepared with time, just as we make it for our own children.