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Home » African » Berbere Spice Mix

Berbere Spice Mix

By Hank Shaw on December 25, 2021, Updated May 26, 2022 - Leave a Comment

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Berbere spice mix is essential to Ethiopian cooking, along with the clarified spiced butter known as niter kebbeh. Berbere (ber-BERRY) is to Ethiopia what garam masala is to India. This is my berbere recipe.

Berbere spice in a ceramic bowl.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

I learned this berbere recipe decades ago, while working as a sous chef at The Horn of Africa, an Ethiopian restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin.

Berbere, either as a spice mix or a paste is, more or less, the contents of your spice rack. I’m only half joking.

If you want berbere paste, you mash the spice mix with cooked shallots and garlic and a little oil and water. Both are commonly found.

What is an authentic recipe? Um, well, there isn’t just one. Berbere is like masala or a Bolognese sauce — every cook has her own version.

I learned this berbere recipe many years ago from my boss Meselesh Ayele, who owned The Horn of Africa. Knowing nothing about the cuisine — I was studying African history at the University of Wisconsin — working there was an amazing experience that helped set me on the path I am on to this day.

Berbere makes its way into most Ethiopian recipes, notably abish wot, which I make as an Ethiopian venison stew, doro wot, a chicken dish, and my all time favorite, tibs. All are classic dishes from that country. It also shows up in their version of butternut squash curry.

In fact, doro wot, a spicy chicken stew, is considered the national dish of Ethiopia. For hunters you’re in luck; remember African chickens tend to be old and tough — so a pheasant or grouse would be a far better choice than a typical American chicken. If you are not a hunter, try to find a stewing hen, or at least a roasting hen.

Or you could use venison to make a version of sega wat, which is typically done with lamb.

Meselesh told me that a bride’s berbere recipe factored heavily in whether she’d be a good wife. Dunno if that’s still true, but I can tell you she never shared the exact berbere recipe she used at the restaurant. I know the spices, just not the proportions.

Here’s what I came up with:

Close up of berbere powder in a spoon
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5 from 1 vote

Ethiopian Berbere Paste

This is a berbere paste mix. You can make this into a dry berbere spice mix by using only dry ingredients. The paste should be kept in a cool place, the spice mix in a dark place. Either way, it will last a year or so. This recipe makes about 1 cup.
Prep Time20 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Servings: 48 teaspoons
Calories: 13kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 12 cardamom pods
  • 2 large shallots, minced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as peanut
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 3 tablespoons cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek
  • Water (see below)

Instructions

  • Toast all the whole spices in a dry pan over medium heat until they are fragrant. Set them aside.
  • In the same pan, heat the oil and sweat the shallots and garlic over medium heat. Do not let them color. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  • Grind your whole spices in a spice grinder, then mix them with the powdered spices. In a mortar and pestle, add the shallot-garlic mixture and add the ginger. Pound it well for a minute or two. Start adding the spice mixture, pounding and mixing all the way, until you have a clay-like, brick red mix. You now have berbere in its most preservable form. 
  • In the fridge, I’ve kept this for a year with nothing noticeable happening to it. But, this is tough to use. So if you want to use your berbere now, start adding some water, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it out to the consistency you want. 
  • If you don’t want to make berbere the old-fashioned way, you can put the wet ingredients in a food processor, add the spices and then drizzle in water or oil as you buzz it on low. Remember this stuff is ferocious. A little goes a long way.

Nutrition

Serving: 1teaspoon | Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 274IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
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Filed Under: African, How-To (DIY stuff)

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Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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