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Berbere

Berbere is a hot Ethiopian seasoning blend used to flavor stews, sauces, and meat or vegetable dishes.

Berbere — illustrative ingredient image

About Berbere

Berbere is a pungent, hot seasoning associated with Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking. It is used to season stews, sauces, legumes, vegetables, meat, and poultry, and may be mixed with liquid or fat before cooking.

Its flavour may be fiery, warm, earthy, smoky, sweetly aromatic, or slightly bitter, depending on the variable combination of ground dried chillies and aromatic spices. The exact heat and aroma are not uniform.

Berbere may be sold as a loose powder, coarse mixture, or prepared paste. Its appearance and preparation change with grinding and moisture, while mixing it with liquid or fat changes how it disperses through a dish.

Ingredient type
seasoning

Forms & related ingredients

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Where berbere appears

6 linked foods

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Main dishes

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for berbere

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Berbere

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Berbere nutrition & diet

Berbere nutritional value

Reference: Spice blend from red pepper with salt and spices

Per 100 g of 100 g edible portion in the named official reference form.

Calories
278kcal
Protein
8.5g
Carbs
25.1g
Fat
10.7g

Official national food-composition reference. The displayed food form is part of the estimate; cultivar, recipe, brand, processing and preparation can change values.

Portions & preparation

Establish the exact berbere recipe before applying a reference: spice proportions, salt, oil, dried ingredients, and any added sweetener vary. Use the amount actually incorporated into a dish, and distinguish dry seasoning from a prepared paste or sauce with added liquid and fat.

Compare the right form: Reference a dry berbere seasoning or prepared berbere paste, with the specific recipe, brand, salt, oil, sweeteners, and other additions identified.

Diet considerations

Berbere is generally plant-derived as a spice mixture, but the blend identity and recipe must be confirmed. Compatibility changes when prepared with butter, ghee, animal stock, dairy, or meat. Added flour, starch, sugar, or cereal ingredients can alter carbohydrate patterns; portion and finished dish matter.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Ethiopian Food Composition Table 2025 — 140051 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .