Berbere

Berbere - actually berbère - is the usual substitute for pepper in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. The name is derived from papere, which in Ge'ez - an ancient language spoken in Ethiopia - meant hot. It is one of the oldest spice mixtures in the world. It was already made in the fifth century, long before people in this part of Africa were also introduced to the chili pepper.

Berbere has been a familiar spice mix for decades, here only known in its dry form. There is also a 'wet version' with fresh onion, ginger and garlic, in the dry version replaced by onion flakes, ginger and garlic powder. Although the composition of berbere, as is the case with most spice mixes, can vary from region to region, from shopkeeper to shopkeeper and from household to household, pepper always predominates.

Like no other country, Ethiopia has a tradition of integrating elements from other cultures. As early as the time of the Egyptians, this part of Africa was the centre of the trade in spices from the Orient, which were mixed with home-grown spices, such as korarima and African peppers, such as timiz, the African long pepper.

Berbere is not a chili powder, and much of the berbere available has a decidedly too much chili pepper, drowning out the other spices. A richly filled berbere contains the following spices, most of which are roasted:

• kunitali - cumin seeds,
• korarima - white cardamom,
• dimbibal - coriander,
• abish - blue fenugreek seed,
• tikuri beribere - black pepper,
• timiz - cape long peppers,
• kiloki - cloves,
• allspice, and

(not roasted)

• besobela - ethiopian (clove) basil
• zinjibil - ginger and
• tena'adam- winter rue

Smell and taste

Berbere is spicy and spicy. This berbere does not contain tena'adam, which is the case in many authentic berberes. Are you curious about the influence of this passion fruit pepper on the taste, we also sell tena'adam. Dose it sparingly, tena'adam has a slightly bitter tone.

Usage

Berbere is used in Ethiopia and Eritrea in many stews (wots) from lentils to chicken. Berbere is potent enough to be used as a rub on red meats. One of its main uses is in awaze, a condiment you can also make yourself from berbere, mead (t'ej or mead) and a little oil.

Features:

• This berbere contains: cayenne pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, coriander, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cumin and ginger
• contains no preservatives, and no paprika, garlic or salt
• origin: Ethiopia, Eritrea

Allergen information

• This Berbere has been carefully crafted in the UK
• the mixture may contain traces of celery and mustard contain

Assortment

• available in glass and stand-up pouch (no test tubes)
  
• glass jar contains 60 grams
• stand-up pouches with a capacity of up to 30 to 250 grams
• larger quantities on request

Gift wrapping

• The jar is available in a tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper
• For an overview of our other gift packaging, please refer to the section gift wrapping
  

Save

• store berbere in closed packaging
  
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• at least good until June 2026 (06-2026)
• This expiration date is an indication

Batch number

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item originates from. It is stated on the packing slip and the invoice