Africa 33
The collective of countries known as the Maghreb
is the portal where Africa meets the Middle East
and Europe. The region’s cuisine has been shaped
by cultural exchange between indigenous Berbers
and their conquerors through the centuries – Arabs,
Ottomans, and French – as well as from the period
when Islamic Berbers themselves ruled most of the
Iberian peninsula as Al-Andalus. Spicing is sweet and
mild for the most part, with cumin the everyday choice,
and cinnamon bringing its aromatic notes to rich,
fruit-laden tagines. The chilli heat of Tunisia’s harissa
paste is a sweat-inducing exception.THE MAGHREB
Earthy | Rich | Mild
Signature
Cumin, cinnamon, ginger, chilli
Cumin gives the dishes of
the Maghreb their mild and
earthy undertones, while
cinnamon and ginger add
an aromatic edge to tagines,
soups, and stews.Supporting
Coriander, turmeric, clove,
paprika, allspice
Arab traders introduced
further exotic spices from
the East – coriander,
turmeric, and cloves – and in
the other direction, paprika
and allspice were introduced
from the Americas.Supplementary
Pepper, nutmeg,
cardamom, fenugreek
These lesser spices tend not
to feature on their own and
are more usually encountered
in the blend ras el hanout, a
broad combination of spices
with local variations that
brings together most if not all
of the above palette of spices.cu
minpa
pr
ikaSPICE
PALETTE
LOCAL SPICE BLENDHarissa
Harissa paste is used as a
condiment, a dip for bread,
or as the main flavouring for
stews and sauces.100g (3^1 / 2 oz) dried red chillies,
Baklouti if you can get them, or
other moderately hot chillies,
such as Kashmiri
3 or 4 fat cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1–2 tbsp lemon juice(^1) ⁄ 2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
(^1) ⁄ 2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
(^1) ⁄ 2 tsp caraway seeds, ground
1 tbsp olive oil
Deseed the chillies and soak in
hot water for 30 minutes. Drain,
combine with the other ingredients,
and pound or blend to a paste.
032-033_The_Maghreb_Horn_of_Africa.indd 33 04/06/2018 15:46