Ras el Hanout

This sensational blend from Morocco has to be the ne plus ultra of spice blends. Loosely translated, the name means ‘head of the shop’, and historically it was the spice merchant’s signature creation, representing the very best he had to offer. Sometimes containing more than twenty ingredients, including several types of pepper, is a spectacular example of how the sum of the parts is often infinitely superior to individual components.

In her classic book Traditional Moroccan Cooking (published 1958), Madame Zette Guinaudeau-Franc evocatively describes ras el hanout as ‘a synthesis of spices, rose-buds and cinnamon together with pimento and black pepper. The metallic glint of the cantharide (Spanish fly) is mingled with the grey stalks of ginger and more than two dozen spices are needed to complete the intoxicating aroma in which the nomad warrior has combined all the scents of the countries he has passed through’.