Moroccan Spices Explained: The 8 Spices in Every Moroccan Kitchen

Walk into any Moroccan kitchen and you’ll find the same handful of spices within reach of the stove: cumin, paprika, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and, for special dishes, saffron. Add a jar of ras el hanout and some fresh cilantro and parsley, and you can cook almost any Moroccan dish.

Moroccan food is well spiced but rarely hot. It’s warm, fragrant and layered, and it usually comes from mixing a few simple spices well rather than piling on dozens. Here’s what each one is, what we call it in Darija, and how it’s used.

The Moroccan spice rack at a glance

Spice	Name in Darija	Flavor	Used in
Cumin	Kamoun	Earthy, warm	Kefta, lentils, bissara, eggs
Paprika	Tahmira	Sweet, mild	Tagines, chermoula, zaalouk
Turmeric	Kharqoum	Earthy, golden color	Tagines, soups, rice
Ginger	Skinjbir	Warm, peppery	Tagines, harira
Black pepper	Lbzar	Sharp, hot	Almost everything
Cinnamon	Qarfa	Sweet, woody	Sweet tagines, pastilla, seffa
Saffron	Zaafrane	Floral, honeyed	Tagines, couscous, special dishes
Ras el hanout	Ras el hanout	Warm, complex blend	Tagines, couscous, marinades

Cumin (kamoun)

If Morocco had a national spice, it might be cumin. It’s in kefta and kebabs, lentils and beans, and there’s often a little dish of cumin and salt on the table for dipping boiled eggs or sprinkling over soup. Try it in our bissara or loubia.

Paprika (tahmira)

Sweet paprika gives a lot of Moroccan dishes their warm red color. It goes into chermoula, cooked salads like zaalouk, and most tomato-based tagines. When a recipe wants heat, cooks use a hot paprika or a little dried chili instead.

Turmeric (kharqoum)

Turmeric is mostly there for its golden color and a gentle earthy taste. It’s common in chicken tagines, soups and rice. A little is enough. Too much tastes bitter.

Ginger (skinjbir)

Ground ginger is one of the backbone spices of Moroccan cooking, especially with chicken and lamb. Together with black pepper and turmeric, it’s the classic trio behind many tagines, like our Berber chicken tagine.

Black pepper (lbzar)

Nothing unusual here, except how much it’s used. Black pepper goes into nearly every savory dish, and it’s what gives soups like harira their gentle warmth.

Cinnamon (qarfa)

Cinnamon is where Moroccan food gets its sweet side. It goes into lamb with prunes, chicken with onions and raisins, pastilla and seffa, and it’s dusted on top of sweet couscous. Try it in our lamb tagine with prunes.

Saffron (zaafrane)

Real saffron is the dried stigma of the crocus flower, and Morocco grows its own, mostly around Taliouine in the south. It’s expensive, so it’s saved for special dishes, weddings and holiday tagines. A few threads soaked in warm water are enough for a whole pot. Be careful in markets: the cheap red “saffron” powder sold in big piles is usually a coloring, not the real thing. More on saffron here.

Ras el hanout

Ras el hanout means “head of the shop”, the spice seller’s best blend. There’s no single recipe: it can have ten ingredients or more than thirty, usually with cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and pepper, and sometimes dried rose petals. It’s used in tagines, couscous, marinades and rfissa. Buy it from a spice seller you trust, or make your own with our homemade ras el hanout recipe. You can read more about the blend on Wikipedia.

Other flavors you’ll meet

• Fresh cilantro and parsley: used by the handful, not the pinch. Almost every tagine and soup starts with them.
• Preserved lemon: not a spice, but one of the most important seasonings. Here’s how to make preserved lemons.
• Anise and sesame: for breads, cookies and sweets like chebakia.
• Smen: aged butter that adds a deep, savory flavor to couscous and soups. Read what smen is.

How spices are used in Moroccan cooking

Most tagines start the same way: onion, garlic, olive oil and a spoon each of a few spices, stirred together with the meat before any water goes in. That short step lets the spices coat everything and wake up in the oil. Fresh herbs go in with the liquid, and delicate things like saffron and cinnamon are added with care. If you’re new to it, our guide on how to cook with a tagine walks you through it.

Buying and storing spices

• Buy small amounts, often. Ground spices lose their smell and flavor within months.
• Smell before you buy. A good spice smells strong the moment you open the jar.
• Keep them away from heat and light. A closed jar in a cupboard beats a rack above the stove.
• Whole spices last longer. Cumin seeds or cinnamon sticks can be ground as needed.

Moroccan spices FAQ

Is Moroccan food spicy?

Mostly not. It’s full of spices, but warm and fragrant rather than hot. Chili usually comes on the side.

What are the most common Moroccan spices?

Cumin, paprika, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and saffron, plus the ras el hanout blend.

What can I use instead of ras el hanout?

A mix of cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and black pepper gets you close. It won’t be as complex, but it works.

How do I know if saffron is real?

Real saffron comes as thin red threads with lighter tips, costs a lot, and slowly turns water golden. Bright red powder sold cheaply by the kilo is usually coloring.

Start with cumin, paprika, ginger and turmeric. With those four and some fresh herbs, you can cook most of the Moroccan recipes on this site.