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2007-11-03T11:09:32Z

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'''''Ras el hanout''''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]:رأس الحانوت) is a popular blend of [[herbs]] and [[spices]] is used across the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]]. The name means "head of the shop" in [[Arabic language|Arabic]], and refers to a mixture of the best spices a seller has to offer.

There is no set combination of spices that makes up Ras el Hanout, but most versions contain over a dozen spices, including [[cardamom]], [[mace (spice)]], [[nutmeg]], [[cinnamon]], and ground [[chili pepper]]s. Some recipes include over one hundred ingredients, some quite unusual, such as [[Rowan#Rowan berries as food|ash berries]], [[chufa]], [[Grains of Paradise]], [[orris root]], [[Monk's pepper]], [[cubeb]]s, dried [[rosebud]], and the potentially toxic [[Deadly_nightshade|belladonna]] and insects such as the beetle known as [[Spanish fly]] (however, the sale of Spanish fly was banned in the spice markets of Morocco in the [[1990s]]). Usually all ingredients are toasted and then ground up together. Individual recipes are often improvised.

Ras el hanout is used in ''[[pastilla]]'', the Moroccan [[squab|squab/young pigeon]], and almond pastie, is sometimes rubbed on meats, and stirred into [[couscous]] or [[rice]]. It is often believed to be an [[aphrodisiac]].

== References ==
*''The Gourmet Cookbook'', by Ruth Reichl (Ed.), Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-37408-6
*''The Oxford Companion to Food'', by Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-211579-0

{{Herb and spice mixtures}}

[[Category:Herb and spice mixtures]]
[[Category:Moroccan cuisine]]
[[Category:Arab cuisine]]
[[Category:Mediterranean cuisine]]
[[Category:African cuisine]]

{{ingredient-stub}}

Ras el hanout - Revision history

MediaWiki default at 11:09, 3 November 2007