Qâlat daqqa
Also known as qalat daqqa, gâlat dagga, galat dagga, Tunisian five spices
Dry spice blend
Quick answer
The Tunisian "five spices": black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and grains of paradise. It is a close cousin of the French quatre épices, and grains of paradise — an African pepper most European kitchens forgot centuries ago — is the ingredient that makes it Tunisian.
In essentially every version: Black pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cinnamon or cassia bark, Grains of paradise.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Black pepper (ground) | base | defining |
| Cloves (ground) | primary aromatic | defining |
| Nutmeg (ground) | supporting aromatic | defining |
| Cinnamon (Ceylon) (ground) | supporting aromatic | defining |
| Grains of paradise (ground)The fifth spice and the defining one. Where it is unavailable, cooks outside Tunisia substitute more black pepper, and the result is a quatre épices. | heat | defining |
Low. The five components are fixed by the name and proportions vary only within a narrow band, black pepper leading. The practical variation is whether grains of paradise is present at all in versions made outside North Africa.
The versions
Each attributed, with how firm its proportions are stated plainly.
Tunisian household blend
Household traditionTunisian household practice · proportions representative · medium confidence
Pepper-led, with the four other spices in smaller and roughly equal shares. Proportions are representative.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black pepper | 4 | 47% |
| Cloves | 1 | 12% |
| Nutmeg | 1 | 12% |
| Cinnamon or cassia bark | 1 | 12% |
| Grains of paradise | 1–2 | 18% |
Made without grains of paradise
Common todayCommon outside North Africa · proportions reconstructed · low confidence
Black pepper standing in for grains of paradise. Recorded because it is what most recipes written for European or American kitchens produce, and because it is, in effect, a quatre épices with cinnamon in place of ginger.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black pepper | 5–6 | 65% |
| Cloves | 1 | 12% |
| Nutmeg | 1 | 12% |
| Cinnamon or cassia bark | 1 | 12% |
Using it
Used sparingly, a pinch or two to a dish, added with the meat. It is a finishing depth rather than a base, and a Tunisian stew may carry tabil for aroma, harissa for heat and a little qâlat daqqa for warmth.
Peppery and warm, with clove and nutmeg in front of the cinnamon and a floral, faintly citrus heat from the grains of paradise that black pepper alone does not have.
Moderate, from black pepper and grains of paradise rather than chilli.
- Lamb and mutton
- Stuffed vegetables and meatballs
- Slow-cooked stews
- Pumpkin and squash
Scaling: Scales linearly. Clove dominates quickly, so a cook adjusting to taste should move the clove last.
What to use it on
Lamb
StrongA pinch of qâlat daqqa in lamb stews and stuffed vegetables is its main Tunisian use; the pepper, clove and grains of paradise suit the fat of lamb.
If you have none
Quatre-épices
Good matchUse: 1× by volume — Like for like; both are used by the pinch.
Quatre épices shares pepper, cloves and nutmeg and usually carries ginger or cinnamon, so the dish keeps its warm, peppery register. What it lacks is grains of paradise, whose floral, citrus heat is the Tunisian signature.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| close | close | very close | less |
Works for
- Lamb stews
- Meatballs and stuffed vegetables
Does not work for
- Dishes where the floral heat of grains of paradise is wanted
Storage
Good for: 6–12 months (typically 9 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
Tunisia, where it seasons lamb, stuffed vegetables and slow-cooked dishes, used in smaller quantities than tabil. The name is usually glossed as "pounded" or "ground" spices.
Tunisia
One of the small set of blends a Tunisian kitchen keeps, alongside tabil and harissa, and used for the richer meat and stuffed dishes rather than for every day.