A fiery red Ethiopian and Eritrean blend of dried chillies with fenugreek, korarima, ginger, garlic and warm spices, the essential seasoning of wat stews and lentil dishes.
What it is¶
Berbere is the foundation seasoning of Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking: a deep brick-red powder of dried red chillies layered with fenugreek, warm spices and dried aromatics such as garlic, ginger and shallot. The name comes from the Amharic and Tigrinya word for hot pepper, and it is hot, though a good berbere tastes of much more than heat.
It is used in large quantities. A pot of doro wat, the celebrated chicken stew served at festivals, can take several tablespoons, cooked slowly with a great deal of onion and spiced clarified butter (niter kibbeh) until the sauce is dark and glossy. Mixed with liquid and oil, it becomes awaze, a dipping paste.
Origins¶
Chillies reached the Horn of Africa after the Columbian exchange, probably via Portuguese and Arab trade in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were adopted with enthusiasm. Ethiopia already had a sophisticated spice culture, with native or long-established spices such as korarima (Aframomum corrorima, sometimes called Ethiopian cardamom), nigella, ajwain (netch azmud) and the aromatic basil besobela. Berbere fused the new heat with those older flavours. See how-chillies-spread-around-the-world.
Traditionally, berbere is a household project. Chillies are dried in the sun, then pounded or ground with garlic, ginger and shallots, dried again, toasted with the spices and ground. Recipes are passed down in families and differ from home to home and from region to region.
What goes in it¶
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Dried red chillies | Heat and colour; the bulk of the blend |
| paprika (in many modern recipes) | Colour and body without extra heat |
| fenugreek | Savoury, bittersweet depth; very characteristic |
| Korarima | Aromatic, cardamom-like; green cardamom is the usual substitute |
| ginger and garlic (dried) | Pungent aromatics |
| Shallot or onion (dried) | Sweetness and savour |
| cloves, cinnamon, allspice | Warmth |
| ajwain and besobela (a basil) | Herbal, thyme-like notes |
| Coriander, black pepper, nutmeg, nigella | Supporting spices |
| Salt | Seasoning |
Flavour¶
Hot, earthy and faintly sweet, with a bitter-savoury edge from fenugreek and a perfumed, resinous background from korarima and cloves. Cooked slowly in butter with onions it turns rich and rounded; raw, it is harsh and dusty, so it is almost always cooked.
How to use it¶
- Wat stews: cook 2–4 tablespoons in niter kibbeh with finely chopped onions (traditionally dry-cooked first, without fat, until very soft) before adding chicken, beef or lentils.
- Misir wat: red lentils simmered with berbere, onion, garlic and oil; a vegan staple of Orthodox fasting days.
- Tibs: sautéed meat, finished with berbere and rosemary.
- Awaze: mix berbere with a little water, oil or tej (honey wine) to a paste to serve with raw or grilled meat.
- Elsewhere: roast vegetables, chickpeas, eggs, or a rub for chicken wings.
⚠️ Heat varies
Commercial berbere ranges from mildly warm to ferociously hot. Taste a pinch before measuring out several tablespoons.
Making it at home¶
About 10 tablespoons · 20 minutes
You need
- 15 g dried mild-to-medium red chillies (such as guajillo or Kashmiri), stems and most seeds removed
- 1–3 dried hot red chillies, to taste
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp ajwain seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- Seeds from 6 green cardamom pods (or 2 korarima pods)
- 6 cloves
- 3 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
Method
- Toast the chillies in a dry pan over a medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes, pressing them flat, until pliable and fragrant. Do not blacken them. Set aside.
- Toast the fenugreek, coriander, ajwain, pepper, cardamom and cloves for 2 minutes, until the fenugreek is light golden.
- Cool, then grind the chillies and whole spices to a fine powder, in batches if necessary.
- Mix in the paprika, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Store airtight.
Variations¶
- Household berbere in Ethiopia is often made with fresh garlic, ginger and shallots pounded into the chillies and sun-dried, which gives a deeper, sweeter flavour than dried powders.
- Eritrean versions (berbere or dilik when made into a paste) are similar, with family variations in the spices.
- Mitmita is a different, hotter blend of bird's eye chilli, korarima, cloves and salt, used for kitfo and as a table seasoning.
- Western recipes usually replace korarima with green cardamom and besobela with dried basil or omit it.
There is no fixed recipe; berbere is as varied as the families that make it.
Buying and storing¶
Keep airtight and away from light, which fades the colour quickly. Ethiopian and Eritrean grocers sell berbere by weight, often in several heat grades; ask. Ground chilli can occasionally be adulterated with colourings, so buy from a trusted source. See spice-adulteration.