ras el hanout
noun
ras el ha·nout ˌräs-ˌel-hə-ˈnüt 
variants or less commonly ras-el-hanout
: a mixture of ground spices that is used in northern African cooking and includes coriander, ginger, turmeric, peppercorns, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, and other spices
… just like curry powder, there is no single recipe for ras el hanout. You might even say that's its whole point.
Mourad Lahlou
Mourad LahlouNargisse Benkabou's recipe combines lamb shanks with a syrupy sauce of honey and raisins, seasoned with saffron and ras el hanout. The New York Times
The New York TimesThis is a pure North African dish of lamb marinated in ras-el-hanout (a medley of spices) … Kaleel Sakakeeny
Kaleel Sakakeeny
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Arabic raʼs al-ḥānūt, literally, "head of the shop," i.e., a mix of a shop's choicest spices
First Known Use
1876, in the meaning defined above