Berbere (pronounced bur-bu-ree) is an all-purpose Ethiopian spice blend, made from a huge variety of spices, depending on availability and the tastes of the chef. We make ours with most of the classic ingredients, including ginger, fenugreek, cloves, cumin, coriander, and ajowan. It almost always contains a lot of chiles (we use green Serrano chiles), so in addition to being very flavourful it is intensely spicy – beware!
Berbere is traditionally used in Ethiopian meat stews, known as “wats.” It is also great in other types of stews and rubbed on any meat that is bound for the grill. Just make sure you stay within your heat comfort level!