Ras el Hanout is one of the most complex spice blends you can find. Traditional Ras el Hanout recipes vary between 24 and 27 spices, you can find some that contain 40!
Ras el Hanout literally means “Head of the grocery store”, or the best in the store. This mixture of spices remains very present in the Maghreb countries, particularly in Morocco. It is sometimes called "Maghreb Curry". It nevertheless remains very different from a Curry, its floral and citrus notes brought by all the spices not present in a curry distinguish it very clearly.
Historically Ras el Hanout contains two particular ingredients: Belladonna and Cantharide fly. Belladonna is a plant which turns out to be toxic depending on the dosage and the Cantharid fly secretes Cantharidin which turns out to be a poison in high doses and also an aphrodisiac. It is said that Félix Faure abused it. This would have caused his popular death.
(We preferred not to include these two ingredients in our composition.)
In the kitchen:
It goes without saying that Ras el Hanout will be used in your couscous and tagines. But its aromatic complexity, its fragrant flavors will enhance your vegetables, dishes in sauce, vegetables such as eggplant, carrot, zucchini or turnip.
It is also used in the composition of certain desserts such as Feqqas from Morocco. Surprisingly but very good, it can be incorporated into your coffee. It will perfume it completely.
Think of Ras el Hanout as a non-spicy curry with more pronounced floral flavors, so you can use it everywhere!
Origins:
The origin of the Ras el Hanout mixture seems unknown but its uses were found in the Middle Ages, mainly in Morocco. It was a reflection of the fine Moroccan gastronomy found in the royal cities.
Our Ras el Hanout comes from more than 15 producers who provided us with all the spices that make it up. It’s a journey around the world of spices!