(chiba) A thin leaved, light green/grey herb with a bitter taste, used fresh or dried, alone or with fresh mint to make tea.

A green grain, the size of a peppercorn. A soup made with ale and served with dates and bread is supposed to strengthen the bones.

(chebb) Ground and used in jabane-soft nougat with nuts or almonds. Alum is burnt with hermel, (a fragrant spice) and houd (sandalwood) in a little kanoun (an earthenware brazier) in order to counteract the evil eye.

(nafaa or hlaouoa enafaa) Used in bread pastries and cookies.

(lissan ettir) these are ground and used in certain Ras-el-hanout blends.

(hbeq) Basil is hardly ever-used traditional North Africa cuisine. Instead it is valued for its medicinal virtues. It is good to fight stress and insomnia, and it is used alone or with mint to make a tisane. Placed around the house it will ward off insects.

(ouarka sidna moussa) the leaves are used fresh or dried in a bouquet garni.

(ibzar el’khel) Used finely ground or as whole peppers in pickled vegetables or pickled meats. Black pepper is better kept whole and crushed as needed. In our recipes we recommend white pepper instead of black pepper.

(debbant el hend) A ground insect use in ras-el hanout.

(kerouiya) Caraway aids digestion. Tunisians rely heavily upon this spice to flavour harissa.

Used ground in ras-el hanout and occasionally to flavour coffee. Cardamom aids respiratory problems.

(felfla soudaniya) Very small, very hot dried red chilli peppers. Used either whole or crushed.

(krafss) used in harira.

(kerfa or dar el cini) there are two kinds of cinnamon: dar el cini is the delicate version from Sri Lanka; kerfa is usually from Vietnam and has a stronger taste. It is used ground or whole, in sweet lamb or duck dishes, in drinks and in candied fruits. Ground cinnamon, mixed with icing sugar, is used to flavour pastille and some sweet couscous, such as couscous seffa. Cinnamon is often sprinkled over a dish. It is a powerful bactericide. An infusion of cinnamon sticks and cloves can help fight the flu.

(oud el’kronfel) used ground or whole, in tagines, fruit salads or candied fruits with spices. Also used to pickle meat. Chewing a clove is supposed to relieve toothache and prevent bad breath. Cloves also have digestive and antiseptic properties and stimulate physical and intellectual activity.

(kasbour) Coriander is normally used fresh in North African cuisine. The seeds are used to flavour pickled meats and occasionally in cooking. Coriander is mentioned as an aphrodisiac in the One Thousand and One Nights. Coriander alleviates urinary infections.

(nouioura) Part of the spice mixture used for meatballs.

(kamoun) Cumin seeds are toasted and ground, used with grilled meats (brochettes and Kofta) or chicken livers. Cumin is a very important ingredient of chermoula sauce, used to marinate fish or meat. Cumin is added to salads of cooked vegetables, such as aubergines, carrots, beetroots, swiss chard and broad beans. Cumin is known to ease digestion. In some Jewish families, ground cumin used to be given to young children with a teaspoon of mahia (a distilled liquor of figs and aniseed) to relieve stomach ache.

Ground dried red hot peppers

Sweet dried red peppers

(besbass) Fennel has a distinctive smell rather like aniseed. The whole bulb is used as a vegetable with meat or mixed pickled vegetables with lemon. The feathery fronds are used in fish marinades. Fennel is good to ease kidney pains.

(halba) used in couscous del’Hsoub, which is reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Fenugreek is also an expectorant.

(toum) Garlic is a major ingredient in North African cooking. It cures worms in children and is used as an antiseptic.

(skinjbir) Except for certain, more modern North African recipes, ginger is usually used dried and ground, not as grated fresh root. In some fish, meat or poultry recipes ginger marries very successfully with saffron. It is also used in drinks, pastries and candied fruit and vegetables, such as candied baby aubergines. Ginger is known as an antiseptic, and an infusion of ginger can help stomach disorders.

(atai) Mint tea is always made with green tea. The most commonly used is a gunpowder tea. Green tea is a diuretic and an astringent for the fibres of the stomach, toning it and improving digestion.

(meska) Used ground in candied aubergines or in jabane, soft nougat with nuts or almonds. Also used in coffee.

A deep green mint. Used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea.

A variety of mint with rough leaves. Used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea.

(nowera) Used ground. Part of the spices El’Hsoub. Juniper is famous for encouraging the appetite. The berries are also reputed to give pregnant woman a speed delivery.

(mashie or bsibsa) Mace is the orange outer casing of the nutmeg. It has a strong perfume, and is used ground, particularly to flavour meatballs or fish balls

(gouza or gouzt ettib or gouza belloutiya) Nutmeg should be used freshly grated. Nutmeg and cinnamon are usually an excellent combination in fruit salads, candied fruits, pastries and certain sweet tagines with spices. Nutmeg and mace used to be used in hypnotic and making medicines. Nutmeg is also a good general antiseptic.

(zitoun) Olives are always pickled or salted. There are many different varieties: black wrinkled salty olives, large purple olives pickled in lemon, green olives pickled in lemon with garlic, and black or green olives in chremoula sauce. They are eaten as an appetiser or included in salads. Cracked green olives with slightly bitter taste are cooked with lamb, beef and fish.

(besla) An Arab proverb says: Once you reach a new country, eat of its onions. There is a widespread belief that when one eats onions in a new country, one becomes immune to colds or stomach upsets. Onions also increase male fertility, and juice of onions is good for burns.

(zaatar) Oregano is infused in hot water to make a strong, bitter herbal tea to relieve a tummy aches and digestion problems.

(felfla hloua) Paprika comes in various shades of crimson and orange. Used ground in cooked salads (of aubergines, carrots, beetroot and swiss chard). It combines very well with cumin in fish dishes or in brochettes and koftas. It is used to make red sauce and charmoula sauce.

(maadnous) Generous quantities of flat-leaved parsley are used in lots of North African dishes (the curly-leaved variety is very rare). It is sold in large bunches. In our recipes we have translated one bunch into six tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley (and we’ve done the same for fresh coriander). Parsley is extremely rich vitamin C. lay the leaves on the eyes to reduce inflammation.

(nana ikama) The most common variety of mint. It is used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea. Sprigs of mint are used to decorate pastilla and orange salad with orange-blossom water and cinnamon. At the entrance of the tanners’ souk in Fez, a sprig of fresh mint is given to all the visitors in order to hide the overpowering smell of the souk. Mint has tonic and stimulating virtues, and therefore should be avoided before going to sleep. It is useful for all disorders of the stomach, including weakness, loss of appetite, pain and vomiting.

(hamad marquade) A basic ingredient in Moroccan cooking and very easy to make at home. It can also be bought from the shops. Pickled lemons are used in tagines and in cooked or raw salads. Pickled lemons are very salty, so always reduce the quantity of salt in recipes that contain them.

Toasted pine kernels are sprinkled over some lamb or chicken tagines. Tunisians use them to add flavour and texture to their mint tea.

Literally ‘head of the shop’. The meaning is the ‘crème de la crème’ of the shop. Ras-el-hanout can be bought ready made. It is a blend of aromatic powdered spices, herbs and roots that is used in certain tagines or couscous. Here is one of many recipes for Ras-el-hanout: ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground mace, ½ teaspoon ground maniguette, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground ash bay, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cantharis (optional). Depending on the whims of the spice merchant, Ras-el-hanout may include up to a hundred. Each shopkeeper has his own secret recipe and his own claima as to the blend’s medicinal power.

(zaafran) Saffron is the noblest spice. It gives dishes a unique taste and wonderful golden yellow colour. The ancient Pharaohs believed that saffron had supernatural properties and anointed honoured guests with its oil. Saffron is also very expensive. It takes 75,000 handpicked crocuses to make one pound of saffron. To make the best use of saffron, grind the strand in to a fine powder with a paste and mortar. Some recipes may require you to use strands whole, but generally this doesn’t give a good distribution of the aroma, taste and colour. Saffron should always be bought as strands, not powder, particularly in the Moroccan souks. Otherwise there is a danger you will be buying false saffron (cartham), which is just a colouring powder. Zaafran beldi – a world that comes from Bled, ‘the village’ – is the authentic saffron. Saffron refreshes the spirits and is good against fainting fits and palpitations of the heart.

(salmiya) used with other herbs in a bouquet garni, or crushed and kneaded into dough to make special bread, khozb salmiya. Sage stops bleeding and can be used to cleanse sores.

(jeljlane) North Africans use sesame seeds whole, and they always toast them. Sesame seeds are used in breads and pastries, and to make nougat, haloua del’jeljane. They are often used as a garnish – mainly in sweet tagines. To the Jews sesame seeds are a symbol of prosperity and are part of the Rosh Hashana table (Jewish New Year)

This is a rancid butter and it is traditionally used in certain meat dishes or couscous. It is made with salted butter, which is melted and strained. Smen, which is similar to clarified butter, has a very strong taste, so in our recipes we have used sunflower oil or unsalted butter instead.

A downy green-grey mint. Used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea.

(s’kkor) North African have a well-deserved reputation for having a very sweet palate. Their cuisine includes a huge variety of small pastries. Most are dipped in sugar syrup flavoured with orange-blossom water, lemon zest or vanilla. Mint tea is usually very sweet – it is sweetened with sugar chipped from large loaves. Sugar is included in a wide range of sweet tagines.

(merdeddouche) used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea. Sweet marjoram warm and comfort the head cold.

(z’iitra) this is used either fresh or dried. It combines very well with coriander. Thyme is a powerful bactericide and is used to treat external and internal infections

(kherkoum) always used ground. Turmeric is a deep yellow powder with light taste but strong colour. It’s much cheaper than saffron and can replace it in most recipes. Turmeric is therefore called ‘the saffron of the poor’.

(Louisa) used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea. Varvain helps soothe coughs.

This is used to make a candied peel. There is a proverb, which says: ‘He cures fever with watermelon rind’. In other words his remedies don’t last long; watermelon rind is placed on the foreheads of people suffering from high fever, but the relief it gives is only temporary.

(ibzar el’byed) used ground. White pepper has stronger taste than black pepper and should therefore be used carefully. In our recipes, we prefer to black pepper for aesthetic reasons.

 (fliou) Fliou has a wonderful strong fragrance. It is used alone or with other varieties of mint to make a mint tea. Dried Fliou, put in a little cloth purse and sniffed, treats a cold.