Steenbergs Ras Al Hanut

Steenbergs Ras al Hanut is premium spice blend based on Moroccan cookery. It’s our most complex spice blend, with over 20 different spices. Literally it means ‘top of the shop’ and is a spice merchant’s masterpiece – this is Axel Steenberg’s.

Its complexity is what makes Ras al Hanut so special. Axel remembers that it took over 3 weeks to create the blend back in 2004. It was really hard bringing in the unusual flavours without upsetting the balance with any one of the flavours becoming too loud. In the end, we managed to merge all these unique flavours into a balanced, full-bodied blend with no sharp edges – a blend that’s better than the sum of its parts.

Every spice merchant has their own recipe. Amongst others, we include: cardamom from the Malabar coast; mace from Indonesia; galangal from Vietnam; cubeb pepper from Borneo; long pepper from Java; and orris root from Florence. Then there’s saffron from Spain and rose petals from Bulgaria.

Axel’s Tasting Notes: Ras al-hanut is a subtle curry flavour with a spicy, floral fragrance. Although it’s not massively pungent, ras al hanut’s effect on food is so delicious and transformative that you need much less than you might use of a curry powder.

Customer Comment: ‘My favourite spice is Ras al Hanut, Because I have a wonderful source of Welsh Mutton, which is made even more delectable cooked in a tagine with plenty of red onions and garlic, and lots of Raz.’