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Fennel and Lemon
Finishing Salt
This finishing salt combines single origin organic fennel with zesty dried lemon to give a deep but light punch. This is no ordinary salt, we use Pure Atlas, our purest salt, 100% hand harvested irresistible salt flakes rich in flavour and health benefits, you really can taste the cool Atlas air in every flake. Our hand harvested finishing salts come from the mineral-rich Ourika Valley in Morocco, where natural rock salt and mineral rich waters collide. Our salt mines date back to the 16th century where traditional salt production has been passed on, generation to generation. Our technique is sustainable, regenerative and respectful. Net weight: 80g.
Organic Garlic, Lemon and Chilli
Finishing Salt
We have travelled the length and breadth of the flavour profile to bring you this explosive finishing salt. We wanted to capture the vibrant colours of Morocco’s medinas, countryside, its atlantic coasts and ice cool mountains. The garlic adds warmth and depth, the lemon brings a refreshing sea breeze while the chili brings heat and a little adventure. All of this on a base of crunchy salt flakes harvested deep within the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. All of the ingredients are organic and single origin. This is a powerful finishing salt that is sure to add a whole new dimension to any dish. Net weight: 80g.
Organic Harissa
Finishing Salt
Our Harissa Finishing Salt is as rich and diverse as the area we created it in, The Maghreb, more specifically the Ourika Valley in Morocco. We blend our Pure Atlas fleur de sel with organic harissa to create our award winning combination that works well with meat, fish and vegetable dishes, as well as simpler snacks. Our hand harvested finishing salts come from the mineral-rich Ourika Valley in Morocco, where natural rock salt and mineral rich waters collide. Our salt mines date back to the 16th century where traditional salt production has been passed on, generation to generation. Our technique is sustainable, regenerative and honours local culture. Net weight: 80g.
Organic Ourika Harissa
Spice Blend
Our Organic Ourika Harissa is the best representation of the Ourika Valley and North Africa that inspires us every day. We have sourced the highest quality ingredients from throughout the Ourika Valley and built genuine relationships with local organic farmers that are about as passionate as you can get. Harissa, along with Ras El Hanout are the two prized spice blends in North Western Africa, and we present this blend carefully and with respect. Our harissa is highly versatile and pairs well with just about any dish as a rub, condiment, or seasoning but particularly well in stews and tagines. Net weight: 80g.Organic Ourika Harissa Heat
Spice Blend
Our classic organic Ourika Harissa but with the heat turned up. We have blended a little more chilli to push those higher notes of heat and fire, start slow and build your way up. Our Harissa is the best representation of the Ourika Valley and North Africa that inspires us every day. We have sourced the highest quality ingredients from throughout the Ourika Valley and built genuine relationships with local organic farmers that are about as passionate as you can get. Harissa, along with Ras El Hanout are the two prized spice blends in North Western Africa, and we present this blend carefully and with respect. Our Harissa Heat is highly versatile and pairs well with just about any dish as a rub, condiment, or seasoning but particularly well in stews and tagines. Net weight: 80g.
Organic Ras El Hanout
Spice Blend
Our Organic Ourika Harissa is the best representation of the Ourika Valley and North Africa that inspires us every day. We have sourced the highest quality ingredients from North to South, East to West and built genuine relationships with local organic farmers that are about as passionate as you can get. Harissa, along with Ras El Hanout are the two prized spice blends in North Western Africa, and we present this blend carefully and with respect. Our harissa is highly versatile and pairs well with just about any dish as a rub, condiment, or seasoning but particularly well in stews and tagines. Net weight: 80g.
Organic Roasted
Cumin Seeds
Add depth and complexity to any dish with our single origin Organic Roasted Cumin Seeds. Each seed is a representation of the land they were grown in, the rugged historical landscape of The Atlas mountains in Morocco. We have left these seeds whole, this gives each seed a powerful explosive aroma when cooked, adding warmth, depth and complexity to any dish. Our cumin seeds are versatile and pair well with most other spices and herbs, you should certainly be using it as a base spice but don’t be afraid to experiment with it as an ingredient and in your own spice blends. Net weight: 45g.
Pure Atlas
Finishing Salt
Pure Atlas is our purest salt, 100% hand harvested irresistible salt flakes rich in flavour and health benefits, you really can taste the cool Atlas air in every flake. Use as a finishing salt on any type of dish. Our hand harvested finishing salts come from the mineral-rich Ourika Valley in Morocco, where natural rock salt and mineral rich waters collide. Our salt mines date back to the 16th century where traditional salt production has been passed on, generation to generation. Our technique is sustainable and regenerative as well as honouring the local people who we hold in high esteem. Net weight: 125g. - Shop By Category
- Featured
What are Harissa Spice Blends and How are they Beneficial to your Health?
Harissa is the blend of the Maghreb, the Maghreb being 'the place where the sun sets', a large body of land covering four countries in North Western Africa. There is no food without culture, and certainly no culture without food, and there could be no better place than the Maghreb for Harissa to have been born. Harissa even has UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, this tells you how important this spice blend is to the region.
Locally, harissa is translated as 'red hot chilli paste' and is one of the main staple spice blends in North African cuisine. The etymological root of the word harissa goes back to 'harasa', which loosely translates as 'to break into pieces', referring to a tool that was used to pound chillies in ancient times. Harissa is a highly versatile and hardy spice blend that can work with just about any dish at any time of the day and we feel it is a spice blend you should be including in your cooking, not only for the taste sensation but also as part of a healthy varied diet.
Millstone Ourika Harissa
The Maghreb is a vibrant and creative hub of activity and food is just one of the areas where the people of the Maghreb thrive. Harissa is one of their many creations, there are as many variations in harissa as there are people of the Maghreb. When creating our own at Millstone, it was quite difficult to decide on the flavour profile we wanted, and in time we will be releasing more local variants of this wonderful spice blend. We worked closely with the people of the Ourika Valley to grow, harvest and package our organic Ourika Harissa spice blend. The Ourika Valley (like most of Morocco) is deeply rich in history, some 10,000 known years of history! The area also sits within a unique geological landmass of Morocco, at a confluence of the desert plains and the High Atlas mountains, this juxtaposition of hot and cold is reflected in our Ourika Harissa spice blend, it really is a product born out of its surroundings.
Harissa Deep Dive: Health is Wealth
The four guiding principles of Millstone are Taste, Health, Design and Culture. All Millstone products need to adhere to these principles, some will score more on health, and some will score more on the taste scale, our Ourika Harissa we feel scores very highly on all four quadrants.
Let's Talk Health
Harissa spice blends, by their very nature, are vehicles of health. Harissa is the Noah's Ark of the spice world, it is the spice blend where all of the good stuff was to be saved and savoured for future generations to benefit. Learn more about how spices are essential for our health HERE.
Ourika Harissa Ingredients
We have created a blend of harissa that tells the story of the Ourika Valley and the people within it, where we spent a lot of time with local farmers, learning about their history and craft, which ultimately shaped our final harissa blend. Here is a look inside our organic Ourika Harissa spice blend.
Chilli
Chilli is probably the most important ingredient in any harissa. The literal translation of 'Harissa' is 'To pound and break chillies into pieces', and by this very pounding and breaking do we get the fiery but cool heat that harissa is known for. The major flavour compound in Chilli is known as Capsaicin, this is the chillies main defense chemical which also acts as an intriguing ingredient for us with positive health benefits such as weight loss, increased metabolism and acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant to name a few. Learn more about chilli HERE.
Coriander Seed
Coriander seed is a staple across the whole Maghreb and features heavily in most cuisines from this region. Coriander is now consumed globally and with increasing numbers too, this is one spice you don't want to leave out (please note, coriander is both a herb and a spice, the leaves being herbs and the seeds being classed as a spice).
Coriander seeds bring a warming, light floral and citrus note to any dish and can be used as both a base preparation and crushed as a garnish. The main active compounds in coriander seeds are linalool which brings the floral and sweetness to coriander seed, as well as pinene, which is responsible for coriander's woody notes, whilst limonene provides the citrus and turpentine textures. From a health point of view, coriander seeds provide us with vitamin K which is essential for blood flow, bone health and acts as a superfood for our gut microbiome.
Roasted Cumin Seed
Cumin (also known as jeera) seed is another staple across the Maghreb, this spice has thousands of years of history and has shaped the modern world as we know it. It brings an earthy, woody, subtly sweet and herby flavour to a dish and can be used to prepare a base as well as a seasoning. Its main active compound is cuminaldehyde, which is responsible for the earthy and herby notes, it acts as an antioxidant and anti inflammatory and is essential for brain health. Learn more about spices HERE.
Garlic
Garlic is a universally renowned superfood and has been prized for millenia by every single civilisation for its transformative and preventative health properties as well as its ability to transform food. With its sweet, sulphurous and pungent tasting notes, this complex spice packs in a lot of power for its size. Garlic is the great unifier, it amplifies and unites other flavours whilst having its own distinctive taste that adds depth and volume to many dishes. It is part of the holy trinity, aligned with onions and ginger, together they are a universe of taste within themselves.
The main active compound in garlic is allicin, this alone brings the signature sulphurous and spicey notes whilst limonene adds citrus and sabinene brings the woody and pine-like warmth. Allicin may help ease inflammation and block free radicals, unstable molecules that harm cells and tissues in your body. Research suggests the compound may also help lower cholesterol, prevent bacterial infections, and support cancer prevention.Â
Tip: When using garlic, to activate the allicin, you should allow the chopped garlic to sit for ten minutes. Cooking garlic (applying heat) as soon as you have chopped it destroys the allicin, by leaving it for at least ten minutes allows for more allicin to be activated, thus more will survive the cooking stages.Â
Black Pepper
Piper nigrum, pepper aka The King of Spice is one of the world's oldest spices, and has changed the world like no other. Apart from being one of the most consumed spices globally, pepper is also one of the most readily available. Pepper is the silver to salts gold, although a common pairing, it is one of the most exciting taste sensations there is, providing the ratio is correct of course. The active compound in pepper is piperine, and it is this compound where pepper gets its trademark smell and taste. As an antioxidant it contains all of the expected antifungal and anti inflammatory properties as well as aid in digestion, metabolism and weight loss, all of the good stuff that our gut microbiomes love. Black pepper is considered a healthier option over white pepper, based on the fact that lab tests have shown that black pepper has higher concentrations of the volatile compounds and phytonutrients which are crucial for our overall health. Â
We have added just the right amount of pepper to our organic Ourika harissa to bring out a subtle spicy punch with a deep savory depth. You should also be sensing zingy pine notes with a zest of citrus. These notes help to widen the flavour profile of our harissa, most notably in the middle to upper regions of the mix.
Fennel Seed
Fennel seeds are powerful and hardy, when used correctly, they open a world of flavour and health opportunities unparallelled in the world of spice. We have used fennel seeds in our harissa to create space around the higher notes, this really opens up the area for the warmer deeper ingredients to come through, which makes for a more seamless taste experience.Â
The active compounds in fennel are anethole, which is distinctly sweet, measuring 12 times sweeter than sugar (and 12 times healthier) and acts as an antimicrobial and antifungal compound. Then there is estragole which gives fennel its liquorice-esque taste and lastly limonene, which adds a citrus like experience to fennel, and our harissa as a whole. These are just three of thousands of active compounds in fennel seeds.
Natural Land Mined Salt
We have added a small amount of our Pure Atlas Salt to our harissa blend to help fill out the gaps throughout the blend. The salt flavour sits in the middle and expands just enough to the bottom and top of the blend to not overpower it. Salt, being one of the major five flavour profiles, we feel takes a little from the other four (bitter, sour, sweet and umami). It brings a subtle sweetness with a hint of bitterness, but not enough to make you squint. Our salts are high in minerals and trace elements, and as they come from salt mines, they avoid any possible contamination that sea salts may contain. Learn more about salt HERE.
To Conclude
Our Ourika Harissa should be considered a key part of a healthy balanced diet as each ingredient is vibrating with healthy compounds that we so badly need in today’s fast paced world.Â
With our record breaking three month seed to shelf life, we can guarantee our products deliver on taste, sight, smell and overall health. The thing you notice about our harissa is the depth of textures in the blend, the Atlas salt and partly crushed fennel seeds contrasting against the delicately dried garlic. Then comes the smell, as you inhale you get a sense of the size and breadth of the Atlas Mountain range, where the entirety of this product originates. The taste comes next, and it does not disappoint. The good thing with our harissa is that you can use it as part of a recipe or as a garnish to replace salt and pepper. No matter how you use it, you will taste the depth of Morocco, from the warmer lowlands to the chilly peaks of the Atlas Mountains, this blend has it all.Â
If you have any questions regarding our Ourika Harissa blend, or any other of our products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, we are here to help. Please contact us HERE.
