Welcome to the wonderful world of Ethiopian spices! Berbere is truly one of the world’s great spice blends.
Core berbere spices (toast and grind whole for best results):
- Dried red chilies (Ethiopian or Kashmiri) — the base
- Fenugreek — gives that slightly bitter, mapley depth
- Coriander seeds
- Black cumin (nigella or kalonji) — different from regular cumin!
- Cardamom pods
- Korerima (Ethiopian black cardamom) — the most important and hardest to find
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Allspice berries
- Black pepper
- Ajwain (carom seeds)
- Dried ginger, turmeric, and paprika
How to make it: Toast all whole spices lightly in a dry pan, cool, then grind everything together. The key is the toasting — it unlocks completely different flavor compounds.
Beyond Doro Wat, try berbere in:
- Berbere-spiced lentils (Misir Wat) — incredible vegetarian dish
- Lamb stew — adds incredible depth
- Roasted vegetables — toss with oil and berbere before roasting
- Berbere butter (Niter kibbeh) — clarified butter infused with berbere and onion, a base for all Ethiopian cooking
- Modern fusion: berbere-spiced fried chicken or popcorn
I order authentic Ethiopian spices from Brundo Spice Company (US) or Lalibela Spices (UK) — they import directly from Ethiopia.