What the Heck Is in Ras el Hanout?
Note: On Thursdays, Andrea Lynn, associate editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with some Serious Heat. This week, she joined forces with travel writer Kate Mulcrone to discover the mystery of a Moroccan spice blend. Sifting through unground ras el hanout. Forget the baffling, labyrinthine streets of the medinas in Marrakech and Fes—the true mystery of Morocco is found in the pantry. Right next to jars of cinnamon, cumin, and dried ginger you might find ras el hanout, a blend of anywhere from ten to 100 spices that is the carefully guarded secret behind any Moroccan cook’s reputation. On a recent trip to Morocco, we fell hard for the intrigue of what’s exactly in the spice. Ask as politely as you want, but Morocco’s famous hospitality does not extend to revealing the spices or proportions contained in this legendary spice blend. “Ras el hanout” translates to “top of the shop,” meaning it’s the best the shop has to offer. And each shop has its own pride and glory of spices to fall
