La kama
Also known as lakama, la kama spice, Tangier spice blend
Dry spice blend
Quick answer
A short Moroccan blend from Tangier of ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is the everyday counterpart to ras el hanout: five spices rather than twenty, warm rather than perfumed, and made for soups and stews rather than for show.
In essentially every version: Ground ginger, Black pepper, Turmeric, Cinnamon or cassia bark, Nutmeg.
2 distinct versions are set out below. None of them is presented as the correct one, because there isn’t one.
What goes in it
The defining core first, then the versions, with what each ingredient is there to do.
| Ingredient | Role | How essential |
|---|---|---|
| Ginger (ground) | base | defining |
| Black pepper (ground) | heat | defining |
| Turmeric (ground) | colour | defining |
| Cinnamon (Ceylon) (ground) | supporting aromatic | defining |
| Nutmeg (ground) | supporting aromatic | usual |
| Cumin (ground) | supporting aromatic | optional |
Low. Ginger, pepper, turmeric and cinnamon are constant; nutmeg is usual; a little cumin appears in some households. Ginger and pepper together — the two most-used spices of the Moroccan kitchen — are the backbone.
The versions
Each attributed, with how firm its proportions are stated plainly.
Tangier household blend
Household traditionNorthern Moroccan household practice · proportions representative · medium confidence
Ginger and pepper leading, turmeric for colour, cinnamon and nutmeg in smaller amounts. Proportions are representative.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ground ginger | 3 | 31% |
| Black pepper | 3 | 31% |
| Turmeric | 2 | 21% |
| Cinnamon or cassia bark | 1 | 10% |
| Nutmeg | 0.5–1 | 8% |
With cumin
Common todaySome households and commercial versions · proportions representative · low confidence
The same five with a small amount of cumin, which pulls the blend towards the savoury and away from the warm-sweet register.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ground ginger | 3 | 29% |
| Black pepper | 3 | 29% |
| Turmeric | 2 | 19% |
| Cinnamon or cassia bark | 1 | 10% |
| Nutmeg | 0.5–1 | 7% |
| Cumin | 0.5–1 | 7% |
Using it
Added with the meat and onions at the start of a tagine or soup and cooked through, often alongside saffron and fresh herbs. It is a base seasoning rather than a finishing one.
Warm and gingery with a peppery bite and an earthy yellow undertone from the turmeric. Plainer and more direct than ras el hanout, without the floral and musky notes.
Moderate, from ginger and black pepper; no chilli.
- Harira
- Lamb and chicken tagines
- Lentil and chickpea soups
- Fish stews
Scaling: Scales linearly; the proportions are short and forgiving.
What to use it on
Chickpeas
StrongHarira, the Moroccan soup of lentils, chickpeas and tomato, is seasoned in the north with la kama; its ginger and pepper warmth is the soup’s spice base.
How: Harira
If you have none
Ras el hanout
SituationalRas el hanout contains everything la kama does and much more, including floral and musky notes. Used at a lower quantity it seasons harira or a tagine acceptably, but the dish becomes more perfumed and less plainly warm.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | different | close | similar |
Works for
- Tagines
- Harira, at a reduced quantity
Does not work for
- Dishes where a plain ginger-and-pepper warmth is wanted
- Ras el hanout with rose or lavender in delicate soups
Storage
Good for: 6–12 months (typically 8 months)
Cool, dark, dry and closed.
A stale blend is a quality matter; kept dry it does not become unsafe.
Allergens and safety
Not among the substances that must be declared as allergens under EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex II or under the United States major food allergen rules. That is a statement about labelling law and not about whether allergy occurs: allergic reactions to spices are documented in the clinical literature and are simply not a labelling category. Where a ground spice presents an allergen risk it is usually through adulteration or shared processing equipment rather than through the plant itself.
Culture and origin
Tangier and the north of Morocco, where it seasons harira, tagines and stews. It is one of the regional Moroccan blends that sit beneath ras el hanout in everyday cooking.
Tangier and northern Morocco
An everyday household blend, and a reminder that Moroccan cooking is not seasoned with ras el hanout by default. Ginger and pepper are the two spices a Moroccan cook reaches for most, and la kama is that habit put in a jar with colour and warmth added.