Short-nap cloth el hanout

The Ras el hanout ( رأسالحانوت - literally in Arabic the head of the store because this mixture is a leading product of the Arab grocers) is a mixture of spice S used mainly in the kitchen of the the Maghreb.

The Short-nap cloth el hanout is employed in the preparation of the Tajine of Mrouzia, but it is especially the secrecy of a couscous to the authentic taste! All these spices are obviously washed, dried and ground. One on sale finds them in the spice merchants in all the Souk S, either already ground, or at the rough state.

Composed and proportioned according to science and imagination of the salesman, the requirement, the quality and the purchasing power of the applicant and a price varying from simple with the double according to the ingredients employed, the “Short-nap cloth el Hanout” is the spice of the Aïd to el-Kebir, Mrouzia, certain dishes of winter which have the property to give hot. It always enters the cooking of game. And if it is used much less than formerly, the sensitive to the cold old people employ it, at the cold season, in a heating preparation, virilizing, the “Mâjoun”.

Ingredients being able to enter its composition

Although the receipts sold out of bottle throughout the world (kind Ducros ) contain only six to ten spices, the traditional receipt of the close-cropped el hanout (this name is used with the Morocco and in Algérie) varies between 24 or 27 ingredients (the most current formula) and can go until more than forty. One finds there:

Cardamome : “Qâqulla”, seed of a Zingibéracée. (Hefty fellow, Sri Lanka).
Mace: “Bsibsa”, arille which surrounds almond of the nut Muscade. (Java, Sumatra).
Galanga : “Khdenjal”, rhizome of a Zingibéracée cultivated and savage in the Far East, China.
Maniguette : “Gouza sahraouia”, seed of one zingibéracée. Ivory Coast.
Nutmeg: “Gouzt ettiab”, nut of the fruit of the muscadier. (Sumatra, Java).
Nut Nutmeg: “Gouza el bloutia”, complete fruit of the muscadier. (Java, Sumatra).
Four spices: “Nouioura”, Pepper. (Jamaica, the Antilles). Very different from peppers in spite of its name.
Cantharide : “Debban elhand”, coleopter, aphrodisiac. (Mediterranean regions).
Cinnamon: “Qarfa”, bark of a tree of the family of the lauraceous ones: the Cinnamon-tree. (India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka).
Cypéracée : “Tared soudania”, rhizome very odorous. (Sudan).
long Pepper: “Dar felfell”, fruit of the “ Piper longum ”. (India and Malaysia).
Clove: “Oud in nouar”, floral button of the giroflier (myrtacée). (Zanzibar).
Curcuma : “Qrçoub”, rhizome of one zingibéracée coloured in yellow. (India, countries tropical).
Ginger: “Sknjbir”, rhizome of the zingiber officinal, cultivated in the tropical countries. (Indo-China, Japan).
Iris: “Oud lamber”, rhizome of the Iris germanica . (High Atlas).
Black pepper: “Elbzar”, fruit of the pepper plant. (Tropical Asia).
Lavender: “Khzama”, flower of the Lavandula will vera . (France, Morocco).
Pink Buttons of : “Rous el ward”, it is the pink of Damas imported Perse by the Arabs and cultivated in the valleys of the Dadès, Todra, Ferkla.
Cinnamon of China: “Dar el cini”, bark of a tree of the family of the lauraceous ones. (Tropical Asia).
Fruit of the Ash: “Lissan to ettir”, imported Europe like aphrodisiac.
Bays of Belladonna: “Zbibet el laïdour”, desiccated bays collected with Chichaouen, one needs very little of it.
Nigelle : “Habbt el soudane”, seeds cultivated with the Morocco.
“Gouza el asnab”: cultivated seed balls, agglomerated.
white Ginger: finer than the gray. (Japan).
Fruit of a Asclépiadacée: “Hill and abachi”.
Cubèbe : scented black pepper. (The West Indies and Borneo).
Pepper of the monks: “Kherouâ”, bay of the Gatillier, (Morocco).

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