Recipe Note

What is Merguez Spice? North Africa’s Secret

Merguez is a popular spice blend often used to flavour fatty, rich sausages in Northern Africa, where French and Arab influence helped develop one of the most honest cuisines in the Mediterranean Basin. Ingredients, techniques and spices came together to evolve into a unique cuisine with no equal.

The quality of the ingredients is not to be underestimated in this type of cooking, and neither is the precise use of spices. Merguez spices are more than hearty sausages, though; they can add an extraordinary flavour to any meal, especially if hearty.

This is all you need to know about the Maghrebi cuisine and its extraordinary merguez spices. There’s no doubt you’ll find cooking with these North African spices inspiring and fun! The real winners here are your friends and family. Food as flavourful as this is everything but ordinary, and it’s perfect for special African-themed dinner parties and grilling get-togethers by the pool.

The History of Merguez Spices

Merguez sausages are part of the Maghrebi cuisine, a combination of ingredients and techniques shared in North Africa, along with Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. This vast region has deep African roots and influence from the Mediterranean; especially the countries on the other side of the pond, including Spain and France.

A robust Arab influence permeates the region and its culinary traditions as well, and it’s the ancient merger of ingredients and cooking methods that have made food here so distinctive and appealing.

Extensive use of spices is common in Northern Africa and indispensable in Mahgrebi cooking. Some of these spices come together to flavour many neat dishes, including the merguez sausage.

Merguez sausages have their origin in European charcuterie traditions, but what makes them uniquely African is the spices. It comes without saying, the combination of herbs and spices that give these famous sausages their attractive personality can also be used in many other preparations. In fact, they’re the base of most meat-based Mahgrebi recipes.

Maghrebi and North African flavours have now transcended borders and are well known and appreciated worldwide. The secret is out, and although nothing compares to authentic Mahgrebi cuisine in its ancestral home, it can be emulated with great success!

Let’s explore how to use Spice Masters’ merguez spice blend in your kitchen. The apparently straightforward combination of flavours is not only fragrant but versatile. Eight elements complement and contrast each other for a unique spice blend.

How to Use Merguez Spices?

Let’s start by saying that if you’re a cured meat and sausage enthusiast, you’re in for a treat. Merguez spices are an extraordinary ingredient for mutton-, lamb-, beef- and pork-based sausages. Think of rich, fatty links with an intense red color and bog, smoky flavors.

Of course, if you’re not all that into making sausages at home, you can still give flavour to your cooking with merguez spices. Tagines and couscous dishes are typical North African specialities that can benefit from this spectacular spice blend, but you can elevate any hearty stew and casserole with it. Use Spice Masters’ merguez spice blend as a dry rub for chicken or roasts, especially if cooking them on the grill.

Merguez Spices, A Closer Look

1. Paprika

The smoky personality of paprika, ground red bell peppers, is uniquely Mediterranean, and it’s used both in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. Not really spicy, paprika is all about its colour and flavour. Paprika also helps preserve sausages, which is used for most of the spicy sausages in the world.

2. Fennel Seeds

Ancient Greeks and Romans already traded fennel seeds, which were and still are widespread around the Mediterranean. North African cuisines judiciously use the earthy and herbal spice, but they won’t cook without it. Fennel adds a refreshing and lighthearted feel to meat.

3. Celery Salt

Celery salt is a combination of ground celery seeds and kosher salt. This universal, all-natural flavour enhancer is indispensable in all spice blends. More compatible than regular salt, celery salt is one of our favourite ingredients.

4. Cumin

Cumin seeds are earthy and citrusy. They’re also intensely flavourful, mainly when used as a finishing spice. In our merguez spice blend, though, cumin plays a supporting role – it’s not overpowering, but balancing.

5. Coriander

Coriander seeds are also earthy and somewhat sweet — they add contrast to more savoury spices while adding layers of flavour to our spice blend. Coriander leaves are also widely used in Northern Africa.

6. Cinnamon

Natural cinnamon, not to be confused with cassia or false cinnamon, is the bark of a unique family of trees. Cinnamon has warm, comforting flavours commonly found in sweet preparations. Still, cinnamon can also add depth to savoury dishes and is a meaningful ingredient in North African cooking. Cinnamon provides balance to spicy spice blends with its sweet scent.

7. Cayenne

Cayenne pepper is a moderately hot pepper, dried and ground into a colourful spice. The spicy fruit adds vibrancy to food with intense but manageable heat, just enough to add excitement to food. Cayenne is native to America but was adopted in Europe and Africa five hundred years ago during the colonisation era.

8. Black Pepper

Black pepper is a shrivelled fruit with a spicy, almost piquant flavour and an intense aroma. Combined with other spices, black pepper is attractive and comforting — it’s the most used spice on the planet, and for a good reason — it’s universally appealing.

North African Food Is Vibrant!

North African food is all about spices and honest cooking, often over an open flame, resulting in colourful and wholesome meals meant to be shared in good company. These are meals to feed a crowd!

There’s nothing bland about North African cooking, and it’s thanks to spice blends like merguez. As a spice rub or condiment, this unique combination of seeds, peppers and spices can turn any meal into an unforgettable experience. Cooking with merguez spices is not only easy, but it’s also fun. Add merguez spices to your cabinet and add some variety to your cooking today.