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Organic Ras Al-Hanut blended in Yorkshire
Ras al-hanut is an almost mythical spice blend from Morocco that literally means “top of the shop”. Ras was the title given to an Ethiopian king.
What makes this Mediterranean blend so special is its vast number of ingredients – usually over 20 – and the subtle manner in which all these unique flavours merge to forma balanced, full-bodied blend with no sharp edges. A good ras al-hanut is arguably the finest example of how blending a diverse collection of spices can come together to form a complete ingredient that is immeasurably greater than the sum of the parts taken individually.
Every spice merchant has his/her own recipe but typically it is a complex mix of spices that embody the spice trade – there’s Malabar’s cardamom, Sumatra’s mace, China’s galangal, Borneo’s cubeb pepper, Java’s long pepper and Florentine orris root, as well as belladonna (very little of course!) and the terrible cantharis – more infamously known as Spanish fly – allegedly an effective and aphrodisiac beetle.
Ras al-hanut is a subtly curry-like with a spicy yet floral fragrance and robust yet subtle flavour. The notable aspect of ras al-hanut is that, although it is by no means pungent, its effect on food is so pervasive that about half the amount of other spice blends is needed in any dish compared to say an equivalent curry powder. Alternative spellings include ras al-hanout and ras el-hanout.
Steenbergs ras al hanut is hand blended at their spice factory in North Yorkshire. Ingredients include Spanish la Mancha saffron, rose petals, cubeb pepper, orris root amongst others. Unfortunately this blend cannot be organic as some of the ingredients they view as essential are not possible to buy organic. However, many of the spices they use in it are organic.
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