14 replies to this topic

[GlorifiedRice]

So now that I figured out my Indian Spice Quest, Im looking tor an online source
or maybe a place near Philly that sells COMPLETE imported Ras Al Hanout with
ALL the ingrediients in it

Including the "youknowwhat"....

Anyone know of a place?

[Will]

I don't think there's one "complete" or definitive method. What ingredients are you hoping it will have?

That said, why not just compile the "youknowwhat" and blend your own? "Mourad: New Moroccan" has one method -- took an afternoon or so for me to track down most of the ingredients, and some weren't available locally so had to mail-order. But, next time, I'll have them all.

Edited by Will, 30 August 2012 - 10:36 AM.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

You're looking for the version that incorporates beetles? Why on earth?

[GlorifiedRice]

For authenticity

[Mjx]

For authenticity

Erm, the beetles that were sometimes traditionally used are the ones commonly used in Spanish Fly, and the effects of taking this range from mild urethral irritation, to severe, possibly fatal GI and UTI inflammation. The flavour and scent of the ground insects are described as unpleasant, and since the sale of this substance is illegal, you have no way of being certain of the actual nature and concentration of any blend allegedly containing it (you could also just be ripped off by paying a huge price for something that has not so much as a single beetle leg in it).

[GlorifiedRice]

Do you say the same for those members here who eat Tonka Beans, Fugu, Kosari (the jury is still out on the tummy cancer claims) Cyclamates, Pot Brownies or Casu Marzu?

I believe that many things are made illegal in the USA for corporate greed and politics.

I dont eat a whole lot of Middle Eastern food, so Id be eating a tiny tiny bit...Like maybe 1 teaspoon in a whole year, I dont think thats gonna kill me. The amount of beetles in 1 teaspoon of Ras, is negligible right?

I just like to have the complete authentic products if possible

[Mjx]

Do you say the same for those members here who eat Tonka Beans, Fugu, Kosari (the jury is still out on the tummy cancer claims) Cyclamates, Pot Brownies or Casu Marzu?

I believe that many things are made illegal in the USA for corporate greed and politics.

I dont eat a whole lot of Middle Eastern food, so Id be eating a tiny tiny bit...Like maybe 1 teaspoon in a whole year, I dont think thats gonna kill me. The amount of beetles in 1 teaspoon of Ras, is negligible right?

I just like to have the complete authentic products if possible

I'm all for authentic experiences, but even before the ban on blister beetles in food, it was as traditional to make the blend without ground blister beetles, as with them, since there is no defining recipe for ras el hanout; the name means top [lit. 'head'] of the shop, the seller's special or 'best of' blend.

If you buy the beetle-augmented type, the seller is going to be operating outside any enforced standards, and can sell you any old crap and assure you it's 'authentic'. Sellers dealing in the un-beetled seasoning are going to have more at stake, in terms of authenticity and quality.

As an aside, these beetles are by no means rare (like ambergris), but indigenous pest species and a livestock hazard on several continents including North America, so US corporate greed/politics are unlikely to be at the bottom of this particular ban, particularly as it originated in Morocco in the 1990s.

Second, you risk being ripped off, which never feels good.
Since the stuff is illegal (regardless of whether this is 'fair' or 'right'), the people selling it to you may pull a fast one and charge you a small fortune for something that they say contains ground beetles, but doesn't (kind of like college freshmen getting stiffed for a bag of oregano, when they buy pot from someone they don't know).

Third, if the the sellers do include blister beetles in the mix, since they're operating outside enforced standards, the actual amount of ground beetle added could be enough to cause significant problems (because again, we're talking about not-at-all rare beetles, here, not platinum flakes or ambergris), even when small amounts of the seasoning are used.

Finally, yes, I would make similar points to someone having a go at fugu (although here, the bottom line is that if the preparer isn't really, really skilled, you may well end up dead... which does of course have the advantage that you won't be stuck with the dinner bill); the other things are unlikely to drop you dead in your tracks.

To be clear, I have no problem with eating invertebrates, or taking risks (if you you knew my life, you'd knw what I mean), it's just, well, don't get so hung up on the authenticity thing that you ditch your common sense. That's all.

And hey, if you still want blister beetles in the mix, you DO know that you can find these beetles yourself, in the wild, in the US (as I mentioned, they're a pest species)? Just saying...

[budrichard]

+1-Dick

[mkayahara]

Finally, yes, I would make similar points to someone having a go at fugu (although here, the bottom line is that if the preparer isn't really, really skilled, you may well end up dead... which does of course have the advantage that you won't be stuck with the dinner bill); the other things are unlikely to drop you dead in your tracks.

OT, but I'm afraid this just undermines your position. Do you have any idea how heavily regulated the preparation of fugu is in Japan? Wikipedia (admittedly not always a reliable source) suggests there are less than 50 incidents of fugu poisoning per year - in a country of almost 130 million - and the fatality rate is only 6.8%. Most fatalities seem to arise from people preparing their own fugu catch. Your chances of dying of fugu poisoning from commercially prepared fugu are vanishingly small.

I didn't eat fugu when I was in Japan, even though I could have, but that's mostly because it's quite expensive, and reputedly not really all that tasty...

[Mjx]

Finally, yes, I would make similar points to someone having a go at fugu (although here, the bottom line is that if the preparer isn't really, really skilled, you may well end up dead... which does of course have the advantage that you won't be stuck with the dinner bill); the other things are unlikely to drop you dead in your tracks.

OT, but I'm afraid this just undermines your position. Do you have any idea how heavily regulated the preparation of fugu is in Japan? Wikipedia (admittedly not always a reliable source) suggests there are less than 50 incidents of fugu poisoning per year - in a country of almost 130 million - and the fatality rate is only 6.8%. Most fatalities seem to arise from people preparing their own fugu catch. Your chances of dying of fugu poisoning from commercially prepared fugu are vanishingly small.

I didn't eat fugu when I was in Japan, even though I could have, but that's mostly because it's quite expensive, and reputedly not really all that tasty...

I don't see that this undermines my position (that position being, 'Think').

I'm quite aware of the strict regulations surrounding the preparation of fugu in Japan (i.e. the chefs are carefully trained and really, really skilled), but as you pointed out, there are do-it-yourselfers, and (I'll try to find the article, although you may be familiar with the story) at least one idiot who somehow talked an unqualifed chef into preparing fugu (and died).
If a friend of mine in the US or the EU said they were going to go out and eat fugu, I would definitely point out that it would be a great idea to look into the chef's credentials; I'd rather have them think I was a neurotic freak than be unsure that they knew what was and should be involved.

Getting back to ras el hanout, if I was dead keen on having it with Spanish Fly, I'd first look into scoring some from a legit. pharmaceitical concern (if any even sell it), or harvest the beetles and process them myself to add to a part of a really well-created ras el hanout from a good spice dealer (frankly, since I've already travellled down the chemically-induced UTI road, I don't get the excitement over Spanish Fly, but everyone has their own idea of enjoyment).

[GlorifiedRice]

Getting back to ras el hanout, if I was dead keen on having it with Spanish Fly, I'd first look into scoring some from a legit. pharmaceitical concern (if any even sell it), or harvest the beetles and process them myself to add to a part of a really well-created ras el hanout from a good spice dealer (frankly, since I've already travellled down the chemically-induced UTI road, I don't get the excitement over Spanish Fly, but everyone has their own idea of enjoyment).

Thats why I posted it on here, to see if anyone had any sources for authentic Ras el hanout

[Mjx]

Getting back to ras el hanout, if I was dead keen on having it with Spanish Fly, I'd first look into scoring some from a legit. pharmaceitical concern (if any even sell it), or harvest the beetles and process them myself to add to a part of a really well-created ras el hanout from a good spice dealer (frankly, since I've already travellled down the chemically-induced UTI road, I don't get the excitement over Spanish Fly, but everyone has their own idea of enjoyment).

Thats why I posted it on here, to see if anyone had any sources for authentic Ras el hanout

Any place that sells good quality North African/middle Eastern spices is likely to carry ras el hanout, or if you're in luck, prepare it for you. The question of what makes for 'authenticity' is usually complex; in the case of ras el hanout, a significant part of it is in the hands of the one who does the actual blending, determining what makes it 'top of the shop'.

I haven't tried any premixed ras el hanout, since I prefer to make my own mixtures of herbs and spices, but there are quite a few options online.
Kalustyan's (NYC) sells it from their online shop, and it's described as 'house brand': http://kalustyans.co...219&currpage=14.
I've seen Mustapha's (Seattle) recommended here and there: http://www.mustaphas...od&productId=45.
I've also seen it at Williams and Sonoma.

These blends won't contain blister beetle, since it's illegal to sell it pretty much everywhere in the world, but you will have a (I'd hope) lovely spice blend (if you decide to augment it, the ground beetles are described as having a 'disagreeable scent and bitter flavor', so you probably won't want to sacrifice the entire spice blend).
If you do find a legit. shop or online source selling blister beetles, try the stuff on your skin before you do anything else with it, since the principal compound, cantharidin, is used to remove warts and treat molluscum (a skin disease), and it can do quite violent things to living tissue; the stuff you find is Santeria shops is intended for burning, and may contain things to enhance burning, definitely not food safe.

[Mjx]

Between them, GlorifiedRice and the blend described on To The Bones inspired me to experiment with ras el hanout this evening, and I can report that this particular blend makes a terrific addtion to pork-burgers; to look at, they were pale, non-hamburgers, but the scent of the combined spices did amazing things to the flavour. Might ratchet back a bit on the cinnamon, next time.

ETA, added the leftover teaspoonful or so to hot chocolate; the chili is intense, but this is definitely something to do again.

[parrinoj]

Pretty sure I've heard that Ras el Hanout just means "top of the market". I think it's kind of a fluid term.

[liuzhou]

Pretty sure I've heard that Ras el Hanout just means "top of the market". I think it's kind of a fluid term.

As was was explained in post 7.