Ras el Hanout

Ras el hanout is a North African spice blend whose Arabic name translates as head of the shop, implying a mixture showcasing the finest spices a merchant has to offer. It typically contains more than a dozen spices in varying proportions with no standardized composition, each shop, company or family making its own version; common ingredients include cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, ginger, chili peppers, coriander seed, peppercorn, paprika, fenugreek and turmeric, with regional variations sometimes adding grains of paradise, fennel seed, galangal or long pepper. It is used across Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, rubbed on meat or fish or stirred into couscous and rice, though some commercial preparations sold in Europe and North America add ingredients such as garlic, saffron, nuts and dried herbs that traditional formulations generally exclude.