Like niter kibbeh, berbere is used in a bunch of Ethiopian dishes, either as a primary spice or an added layer of flavor. You can think of it like Ethiopian chili powder: a chile-based blend at once earthy, sweet, and hauntingly aromatic, with notes of fragrant cardamom, fenugreek, and clove. It'd be a mistake to say that berbere is a one-stop Ethiopian cooking lesson, but it's a damn good start. One whiff and your sense memories will definitely say, "Ethiopian restaurant." More

If you haven't ever heightened your chocolate with a tiny blast of chile powder, then let me convince you why you should. You don't want to overdo the chile flavor—just use a touch of spiciness to bring out the rich chocolaty flavor. The sweetness of the chocolate floods the mouth at the start with just a splash of heat coming right at the end, like in this Spicy S'mores recipe, where a blast of cayenne transforms the chocolaty summer camp treat into a gooey, spicy bit of heaven. More