The Science of Spice

32 World of Spice

Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, is home to Africa’s

largest spice market – a sign of this region’s spice

diversity. The ubiquitous berbere mix and its less

complex sister blend mitmita, both shared by Ethiopia

and Eritrea, are dominated by red hot piri piri chillies.

Yet the quintessential taste of Ethiopian cooking

comes from bittersweet fenugreek and smoky floral

korarima. Somalian cuisine, meanwhile, is defined

by the fruitiness of coriander, cleanness of cardamom,

and earthiness of cumin.

“

Spices are among the few

external influences brought

to bear on the unique flavours

of Ethiopian cooking.

”

Harissa served

as a dip with

flatbreads.

HORN OF AFRICA

Fiery | Aromatic | Smoky

Signature

Korarima, fenugreek, chilli pepper,

cardamom, cumin, coriander

Also called false or Ethiopian

cardamom, korarima is native

to Ethiopia and has a similar

but milder flavour to true

cardamom. The spice is

notably used to flavour kifto,

a type of steak tartare dish.

Supporting

Turmeric, ginger, garlic,

nigella, clove

Cloves added to the

hottest chillies, cardamom

or korarima, and salt comprise

the mitmita spice blend.

Other supporting spices

help to flavour the many

interesting vegetable sides

and relishes of the region.

Supplementary

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ajwain, timiz

Before the chilli pepper

arrived, the local species of

long pepper (Piper capense),

known as timiz, provided the

main source of pungent heat.

fenu

gr

eek

Saffron is a top

export of Morocco,

but is only seldom

cooked with locally,

mainly due to

French influence.

ca

rd

am

om

SPICE

PALETTE

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Niter kibbeh

This spiced clarified butter is used as the

flavoursome base fat for many regional dishes,

including hearty wat meat stews.

500g (1lb 2oz) unsalted butter

1 medium onion,

finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp grated fresh

root ginger

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp korarima or

cardamom seeds

(^1) ⁄ 2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dried oregano
6 basil leaves
4 sage leaves
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium-low heat. Add the
remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for 20 minutes.
Strain through muslin into a sterilized jar.
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