Finally, a berbere that tastes Ethiopian!!!!

[Jenise]

It has the flavor, not perfect but pretty close, of the Ethiopian version my Kenyan-Ethiopian friends used to have sent over from Addis Abbaba.

And of all things it's Whole Foods Market own brand, go figure.

IMG_6018.JPG

Thx. Anxious to try.

[Jenise]

Christina, haven't cooked with it yet myself. But what my friends used to do with their berbere? Besides cooking with it, they used to mix the spice powder into a paste with oil and a little lemon juice. A pot of this mixture they kept in the fridge at all times and often spread on bread of slices of cheese. I ate much of it! A berbere that doesn't taste good off the tip of a damp finger (which the Penzey's did not and this most certainly did) isn't worth cooking with.

I'll have to try this out. I've been using the from-scratch berbere recipe that I posted in this forum, but a good pre-mixed version would be a time-saver.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Some user reporting: I've now cooked with this a bit. Something very different in the taste from the berbere I remember is a very present fenugreek flavor which leaves a haunting after-taste (in a good way). A small amount (about a tablespoon) used to flavor a pasta and white bean soup (other ingredients: just chicken broth and a handful of dried chives) for two has filled the entire house with the most amazing aroma. It's an aroma nowhere else in my repertoire, and the flavors were so persuasive in that soup that I might ditch Italy for this what-you-might-call North African version of an Italian classic forever more. And I'm not kidding.

On my list for the next trip to the nearest Whole Foods, a 2 hour drive. I am totally in love with fenugreek as I know it in Georgian cuisine. It will be interesting to see how it blends in the Berbere. Thanks for the update.

Will look for it on our next trip to Portland which should happen in January; weather permitting.

[Jenise]

On my list for the next trip to the nearest Whole Foods, a 2 hour drive. I am totally in love with fenugreek as I know it in Georgian cuisine. It will be interesting to see how it blends in the Berbere. Thanks for the update.

It's wonderful. Hopefully your Whole Foods carries the same array of spices I found in Seattle. If they don't, let me know and I'll get you a jar on my next trip to Seattle and mail it over.

Today I'm going to put berbere and butter in a packet with some boneless/skinless chicken breasts and sous vide them for grilling off at dinner. A non-stewed kind of wot. Should be AMAZING.

Jenise, I picked up a jar of this a few weeks ago and love it. It's waayyyy more flavorful than the Penzey's version. I've got some baby backs seasoned with it slow cooking in the oven right now, that will go on the grill (charcoal) to finish up after awhile. The aroma of the berbere is filling the house right now!

[Jenise]

Jenise, I picked up a jar of this a few weeks ago and love it. It's waayyyy more flavorful than the Penzey's version. I've got some baby backs seasoned with it slow cooking in the oven right now, that will go on the grill (charcoal) to finish up after awhile. The aroma of the berbere is filling the house right now!

Heavenly, isn't it? Glad you like it as much as I do.

Bought a jar of this earlier today and while I don't have a keen sense of authentic Ethiopian it is delicious, and that's what counts.

Didn't really have the most synergistic dinner planned but I sprinkled some on the baked sweet potato and that was nice. Will definitely use it for beans in the next few days.

Thanks for the idea. Normally I ignore the WF spice aisle!

[Jenise]

Cool, Rahsaan. Try it with cauliflower. As in coating then roasting, or to season a puree.

Cool, Rahsaan. Try it with cauliflower. As in coating then roasting, or to season a puree.

I've done that with the Berbere I have on hand and it's a lovely combination. The recipe I followed had you put a fairly large amount of Berbere on the cauliflower and then basically "cook it to death" in a slow cooker. A lot of the structure of the cauliflower was lost and it was very tender but the flavor was wonderful.

My Berbere is from Zamouri Spices and I must have bought it on Amazon a couple of years back. It tastes good -- I was surprised by how hot it is but that's not a bad thing. We have an Ethiopian restaurant in New Brunswick, Makeda, which has been there for quite some time and I've eaten there many times -- but my sensory memory didn't connect this spice with the food at that restaurant. The dishes tend to be complex, so the spicing is just one element.

Of course I'm interested in trying the Whole Foods version after all of this discussion.

I picked up a bottle of the Whole Foods berbere last week. I haven't had a chance to use any yet, but it smells wonderful.

-Paul W.

Tonight used a dusting of the WF Berbere on the root veggies I roasted with a pork loin. It was just enough to add piquancy and a savory element to the vegetables but not overpowering.

[Jenise]

Cool, Rahsaan. Try it with cauliflower. As in coating then roasting, or to season a puree.

I've done that with the Berbere I have on hand and it's a lovely combination. The recipe I followed had you put a fairly large amount of Berbere on the cauliflower and then basically "cook it to death" in a slow cooker. A lot of the structure of the cauliflower was lost and it was very tender but the flavor was wonderful.

My Berbere is from Zamouri Spices and I must have bought it on Amazon a couple of years back. It tastes good -- I was surprised by how hot it is but that's not a bad thing. We have an Ethiopian restaurant in New Brunswick, Makeda, which has been there for quite some time and I've eaten there many times -- but my sensory memory didn't connect this spice with the food at that restaurant. The dishes tend to be complex, so the spicing is just one element.

Of course I'm interested in trying the Whole Foods version after all of this discussion.

So far, it's all thumbs up, Frank, so I know you'll be pleased. As for heat: the Ethiopian berbere I remember was not as hot as the Whole Foods version. They might have specified a milder blend--I have no idea about that--then supplemented it with cayenne or equivalent to taste depending on the dish, which in fact was wise since they would use very large quantities of the spice--not a sprinkle or even a teaspoon here or there, but TABLESPOONS, in a single dish. (A small jar the size of the Whole Foods version would last about a week.) Every single one of their homes also had in the fridge, a small pot where berbere was mixed with just enough lemon juice and oil to create a paste. This paste would get spread on bread, hummus-like, or on slices of cheddar for a zippy snack. I look forward to getting more and making some of that for myself.

Interesting post, I will definitely look at Whole Foods. I do have a question, Jenise. Before Penzey's debuted Berbere, they sold a spice blend touted as being similar to it that they called Peri-Peri. Were you comparing the WF spice to Penzey's Berbere or Peri-Peri?

[Jenise]

Mike, definitely the Berbere. Haven't had the Peri-Peri.

Speaking of which, I made a batch of wot Saturday night, in which I used half a jar--yes, HALF, to season a pan of a dozen pre- browned chicken thighs, half an huge onion (sliced) and three and a half cups of chic and three and a half cups of chicken broth. That braised for an hour, then I added the last half cup of chicken broth that had been turned into a slurry with some corn starch to thicken the broth into a sauce. That's all it takes to make a pan of wot--serve with injeera or warmed flour tortillas. This is a meal you eat with your hands: just tear off pieces of bread, stuff with hunks of chicken, eat.

Yesterday while in Seattle I stopped at WF again--bought three more jars.

I made misr wot for dinner last night. This is Ethiopian stew made with split red lentils (masoor dal, if you're from India). I used three tablespoons of the Whole Foods berbere. I was very pleased with the result. Not quite the same as my from-scratch berbere mixture, of course, but equally as good. And IMO just the right level of heat, too. Based on the WF berbere experience, I'm going to tweak my from-scratch recipe a bit (mine doesn't have any fenugreek). But the WF berbere gets a thumbs up from me.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I made misr wot for dinner last night. This is Ethiopian stew made with split red lentils (masoor dal, if you're from India). I used three tablespoons of the Whole Foods berbere. I was very pleased with the result. Not quite the same as my from-scratch berbere mixture, of course, but equally as good. And IMO just the right level of heat, too. Based on the WF berbere experience, I'm going to tweak my from-scratch recipe a bit (mine doesn't have any fenugreek). But the WF berbere gets a thumbs up from me.

-Paul W.

So glad!

Picked up a jar of berbere at Whole Foods last week. Made an Ethiopian spiced lamb stew over the weekend. In the past, using Penzey's peri-peri, I would only put in half of the normal amount of the spice because Cindy is not a fan of hot hot dishes. This time, Cindy put together the mixture that includes the berbere and I forgot to tell her to cut back on the berbere so it was full bore. The finished dish was probably a little less spicy, heatwise, than what we had obtained in the past with less peri-peri. But, wow, the flavor was huge! Definitely enjoyed this blend.

[Jenise]

Mike, glad that worked out for you. We can't stop craving it.

Got it ! Used it ! Love it! Lamb stuffed peppers.

[Jenise]

I think you'll be another instant addict, Christina. Used it yesterday to sprinkle on rack of lamb, underneath a layer mustard and breadcrumbs into which I'd mixed ground unsweetened coconut to give the whole a No African flavor. YUM.