Spices & substitutes
What Is La Kama, the Northern Spice Blend?
La kama is a simple, everyday Moroccan spice blend particularly associated with the north and the city of Tangier — the humble, practical cousin of the grand, complex ras el hanout. Where ras el hanout can hold thirty spices, la kama is built on just a handful, and it's the workhorse seasoning for northern soups and stews.
At a glance
- La kama is a simple northern Moroccan blend, associated with Tangier
- Classically just five spices: black pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg
- The everyday, practical cousin of the complex ras el hanout
- Used mainly in soups and stews like harira, and in pulse and meat dishes
Guide
The classic la kama is usually just five spices: black pepper, ground ginger, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg, in roughly balanced proportions. That's it — a warm, earthy, gently aromatic blend without the floral flourishes or long ingredient list of ras el hanout. Its simplicity is the point: it's a reliable, ready-mixed base seasoning that a home cook keeps on hand to season everyday dishes quickly.
It's used above all in soups and stews — famously in harira and other hearty northern dishes, and in stews of meat and pulses. Because it leans on the same warm-earthy spices as a tagine base (ginger, turmeric, cumin, pepper) plus the rounding note of nutmeg, it slots naturally into lentil and chickpea dishes, lamb stews and vegetable braises, giving them a coherent Moroccan warmth with a single spoonful.
La kama is trivial to make: just combine equal or near-equal parts ground black pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg, and store it airtight. If a recipe calls for la kama and you don't have it premixed, you can add those five spices individually. And if you have ras el hanout but not la kama, ras el hanout will stand in as a warm base blend, though it brings more complexity than the clean, simple profile la kama is prized for.
Practical tips
- 1
Make it in seconds: near-equal parts pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg.
- 2
Keep a jar for quickly seasoning soups, lentil and chickpea stews.
- 3
No premix? Just add the five spices individually to the dish.
- 4
Ras el hanout can stand in as a warm base blend, but it's more complex than la kama's clean profile.
- 5
Store airtight and dark like any ground-spice blend, and use within a few months.
Frequently asked questions
What is la kama?
A simple northern Moroccan spice blend, associated with Tangier, classically made of just five spices — black pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg. It's the everyday, practical cousin of the complex ras el hanout, used mainly in soups and stews.
What's the difference between la kama and ras el hanout?
La kama is simple — around five warm, earthy spices for everyday soups and stews. Ras el hanout is a complex, elaborate blend of a dozen to thirty-plus spices including floral and aromatic notes, used in festive tagines.
How do I make la kama?
Combine near-equal parts ground black pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg, and store airtight. That's the classic five-spice blend, ready to season harira and other stews.
Try the recipes
Put the tip into practice with these free step-by-step recipes: