Beyond Berbere: 5 Essential Spices

If you’ve started cooking Ethiopian food, you’ve likely met the superstar of the cuisine: Berbere. It provides the fiery, complex heart of many dishes.

But if you’ve ever made a stew at home and felt it was delicious but missing a certain depth or aroma found in Ethiopian homes, the answer usually lies in the supporting cast: the qimmem (spice blends).

In our kitchen, flavour is built in layers. We don't just rely on one spice; we use a collection of distinct blends to add smokiness, aroma, and balance. We’ve just added the five essential blends to our shop that help build that complete flavour profile: Tikur Qimmem, Nech Qimmem, Mekelesha, Korerima, and Qibbeh Manteria.

Here is a look at how each one works in the kitchen.

The 5 Essentials

Tikur Qimmem This blend is intended for dark, spicy, red stews. The main ingredient is Ethiopian black cumin (nigella seeds), which gives it a distinct smoky flavour, while korerima adds a minty note. It is the perfect companion to Berbere. When making a spicy red lentil stew (Miser Wot) or a squash stew (Duba Wot), this adds the savory, grounding base notes that heat alone can't provide.

Nech Qimmem Used mainly in mild, light-coloured stews (alecha) and sautés, this blend is savoury and aromatic. Based on ajowan (Ethiopian caraway), garlic, and korerima, it has notes of cumin, oregano, and thyme. It’s excellent for adding flavour to vegetable dishes or roasts where you want depth without the heat of chili.

Mekelesha Mekelesha is a seven-spice blend known as a "rounding off" seasoning. It is stirred in right at the end of cooking to seal in the flavour and bring everything together. It combines seven toasted spices, including korerima and cloves, to create a warm, inviting aroma that signals the dish is ready. A pinch at the end of a wot acts like a perfume for the food.

Korerima Often called Ethiopian cardamom, this is part of the ginger family but has a flavour profile all its own: smoky, peppery, and slightly minty. It is both delicate and intense. You can use it in the same way as black pepper to finish a dish, but because it is one of the most expensive spices in the Ethiopian pantry, we suggest saving it for when you really want to impress.

Qibbeh Manteria This blend is the secret behind Niter Kibbeh, Ethiopia's famous spiced clarified butter. It is a mix of spices designed to be infused into butter or oil to create a rich, aromatic base fat. Using this spiced oil or butter for frying or finishing will add a complex background note that takes any dish to another level.

Putting It Together: The Miser Wot Example

To see how these layers work, look at a classic Spicy Red Lentil Stew (Miser Wot).

You start with onions and Berbere for that signature heat and colour. To give it depth, you add a pinch of Tikur Qimmem, which introduces a savoury, smoky element that grounds the spice. Finally, right before serving, you sprinkle in Mekelesha to add a bright, aromatic finish.

By using these together, you create a multi-dimensional flavour profile that goes far beyond just "spicy."

All our blends follow Amaarech's original family recipes. We source, wash, dry, roast, and grind the ingredients in Ethiopia to ensure they retain their potency before they reach your kitchen. We hope you enjoy experimenting with these new flavours.