Literally meaning "top of the shop". Ras was the title given to an Ethiopian king. What makes this Mediterranean blend so special is its vast number of ingredients - usually over 20 - and the subtle manner in which all these unique flavours merge to form a balanced, full-bodied blend with no sharp edges. Part of Steenbergs range of Arabic spice blends and Mediterranean spice blends.

A good ras al-hanut is arguably the finest example of how blending a diverse collection of spices can come together to form a complete ingredient that is immeasurably greater than the sum of the parts taken individually. Every spice merchant has his/her own recipe but typically it is a complex mix of spices that embody the spice trade - there's Malabar's cardamom, Sumatra's mace, China's galangal, Borneo's cubeb pepper, Java's long pepper and Florentine orris root, in past times some blends have contained belladonna (very little of course!) and the terrible cantharis ?more infamously known as Spanish fly? allegedly an effective and aphrodisiac beetle.

Ras al-hanut is a subtly curry-like with a spicy yet floral fragrance and robust yet subtle flavour. The notable aspect of ras al-hanut is that, although it is by no means pungent, its effect on food is so pervasive that about half the amount of other spice blends is needed in any dish compared to say an equivalent curry powder. Alternative spellings include ras al-hanout and ras el-hanout.

Steenbergs ras al hanut is hand blended at our eco-organic spice factory in North Yorkshire. Ingredients include Spanish saffron, rose petals, cubeb pepper, orris root amongst others. Unfortunately this blend cannot be organic as some of the ingredients we view as essential are not possible to buy organic. However, many of the spices we use in it are organic. We can also assure you that it is completely vegetarian and suitable for vegans.