Berbere is the foundational spice blend of Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking — a deep brick-red mixture built on dried red chilli and rounded out with fenugreek, ginger, garlic, korarima (Ethiopian cardamom) and a warm chorus of cinnamon, clove, allspice and nigella. It is the soul of the slow-simmered stews called wat, lending them their fiery colour and layered, aromatic heat.