Description of the Berbere spice mixture. Calorie content and composition. Why the seasoning is useful, and why some people are advised to refrain from eating it. What dishes the spicy mix complements especially harmoniously. Well, here is just a short list of the beneficial properties of the Ethiopian seasoning. By adding and changing certain ingredients, you can regulate the nature of the effect of the spice mixture on the body. Thus, by mixing 7 or more typical Berbere spices, you will get not only a fragrant piquant seasoning, but also a powerful vitamin cocktail that will shake your body and make all organs and systems work in the right rhythm.
Harm and contraindications to the use of Berbera
However, we all know that strong spices (and all the spices that make up the berbera can definitely be attributed to such), in view of the content in them of a huge amount of biologically active substances, can not only benefit the body, but also in the presence of certain diseases cause serious harm. Despite the fact that in Ethiopian seasoning we are dealing with a combination of a number of strong spices, it should be understood that special care should be taken when using it and having certain health problems.
The seasoning is definitely prohibited in the presence of severe diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular systems, since strong spices can cause irritation of the stomach mucosa or an increase in heart rate.
Great care should be taken with the seasoning for pregnant women, lactating women and young children, as well as allergy sufferers. Individual intolerance to the components of strong spices is a common thing with a tendency to allergies.
In all honesty, we would recommend that if you have any chronic illness or other health problem, especially if you are taking medications, you should definitely check with your doctor before introducing berbera into your diet.
In order to avoid certain unpleasant symptoms of an overdose, berbera seasoning is not recommended even for absolutely healthy people to abuse it.
Berber recipes
So, as we said above, the seasoning has become especially widespread in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and, despite the fact that it is currently popularized in other countries, you are unlikely to find Berbera in Russian supermarkets. However, this is not such a big problem for those who really want to cook a dish with this hot mixture, after all, the best spice made by hand is berbere. Do not be discouraged if you cannot find the exotic berries of rue and azhgon, they can be replaced with sage or rosemary and cumin or cumin, respectively. Moreover, true connoisseurs of the seasoning claim that the main ingredient in berbere is red hot pepper, while the rest of the ingredients are a real deal, as they say.
To prepare a dry berbere, you must first fry the ground hot red pepper, and then gradually add additional ingredients. The proportions are determined only by your taste preferences, but the approximate ratio is as follows: for 5 tablespoons of red pepper, there are about 1 tablespoon of other components. If you want to get the most pungent mixture, add more red and black pepper, if you want sweet notes - “play” with cloves and cinnamon.
With regard to obtaining Berbere paste, all the above recommendations are relevant, with one exception: if ground spices are used in the dry mixture, then for the paste all the ingredients that can be taken fresh, for example, chili peppers, ginger, etc., taken fresh,but thoroughly crushed.
So, if you have prepared your own berbere mixture, it's time to use it in the kitchen, here are some recipes to help you:
- Spicy breast with couscous … Prepare the marinade - mix dry berbere (2 tablespoons), salt (1 teaspoon) and vegetable oil (3 tablespoons), place the chicken breast in it and leave the meat to soak for half an hour at room temperature. Remove the chicken from the marinade and fry over high heat in a skillet, the task at this stage is an appetizing golden brown crust. Transfer the meat to a baking dish, cook in an oven preheated to 180 degrees, 20-25 minutes. Prepare the garlic sauce: Combine sugar-free natural yogurt (200 ml) with garlic (1 clove), salt and pepper to taste. Boil couscous (400 grams), add olive oil (2 tablespoons) and lime juice (3 tablespoons) to the prepared cereal. Cook the green beans (150 grams) and add them to the couscous along with finely chopped parsley (30 grams). Put the fragrant breast and couscous on a plate, sprinkle the dish with pomegranate seeds (200 grams) and mashed feta cheese (200 grams).
- Ethiopian Lentil Stew … In a deep frying pan, heat the oil (6 tablespoons), fry the chopped onions and red onions (1 head each) for 7 minutes over high heat, and then simmer the same amount over low. Add chopped garlic (2 heads), cook for a couple more minutes. Then put the berbere dry or in the form of a paste (15 grams) and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add water (3 cups) and add lentils (300 grams). Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Add water as the liquid boils away. When done, season with salt and serve with fresh tomatoes, chopped as you like. By the way, if you do not like lentils, you can replace it in the recipe with buckwheat.
- Lamb with berbere … Prepare all the ingredients: peel the lamb shoulder (1.5 kg) from fat and films, cut into cubes; cut potatoes (300 grams), carrots (200 grams), zucchini (200 grams) into large strips, onions (1 piece) - half rings, tomatoes (200 grams) - into circles. Fry the meat until golden brown on all sides over high heat in a deep frying pan. Then reduce the heat, add all vegetables at once (except tomatoes), dry berbere or in the form of a paste (2 tablespoons), pour in a little water and close the lid. Simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Add the tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Open the lid, evaporate all liquid, salt and serve with olives.
Here are just a few of the uses in Berber recipes, but you can always let your imagination run wild. At home, spices are not added except to desserts. Soups, meat dishes, stews, salads and even porridge will take on a whole new flavor with this hot seasoning. And if you consider yourself a spicy lover, this very taste will definitely please you.
Interesting facts about Berber
Only one more popular seasoning in Ethiopia - mitmita - can compete with berber in pungency. By the way, in essence, these spicy mixtures are very similar, both of them are prepared on the basis of hot red pepper with the addition of certain spices. However, berbera is used in the cooking process, but mitmita serves to give a unique taste to ready-made dishes - it can even be simply spread on a regular cake.
With proper storage, the seasoning can be kept without loss of taste, aroma and healthiness for up to six months. The dry mixture should be stored in a dark, tightly closed container, and the pasty mixture should be stored in the refrigerator, again in a tightly closed container, or in a regular plastic container.
In Ethiopia, every family has their own way of cooking Berbera. The secrets of the homemade spice mixture are strictly preserved and passed down from generation to generation.
Despite the fact that we have already repeatedly mentioned the fact that berbere allows for great variability in the recipe, we still have something to surprise you with when it comes to this topic. In Africa, the seasoning is often supplemented with a particularly exotic ingredient - pounded insects, of course, not all in a row, but certain varieties of locusts and grasshoppers. The nutritional value of the seasoning, of course, increases, but, perhaps, this fact is unlikely to motivate you to try the Ethiopian mixture in this variation. So if you find yourself in Africa and want to bring home a spicy berbere mix, be sure to check with street vendors for the ingredients.
Watch a video about Berber:
Berbere is still an exotic spice mixture for our country, which means that it is not easy to find it on the shelves of Russian supermarkets. However, you can cook it yourself, replacing ingredients that are not very popular in our country with more familiar ones. Berbere not only has a pungent pungent taste that will appeal to all lovers of spicy food, but also contains great benefits. If the contraindications of the seasoning do not apply to you, be sure to include it in your diet!