Chilies are an essential ingredient in berbere, responsible for the bright colour and spicy flavour.  This shouldn't be an surprise, given that the word Amharic berbere (or beriberē) refers to both this spice mix and to chili peppers themselves.

Traditionally, berbere would be made with moderately spicy Ethiopian varieties of whole red (or brown/red) chilies.  Dry-mix berbere recipes like this one typically use some combination of easily sourced red chilies and ground chili powders.  To make berbere, I generally use either Mexican guajillo chilies (shown in the photo) or kashmiri chilies, along with some kind of ground chili powder.  (Note: while this recipe uses both whole chilies and dried ground chilies, the latter is not shown in the photo above).

Berbere has a reputation for being pretty spicy, but it's actually not meant to be rip-your-face-off hot.  A different spice blend called mitmita is actually intended to be the more spice-driven of the two.  But individual spice preferences (and tolerances) can vary enormously, so it's worth noting that you have options!  Consider the following guide for suggested chili and chili powder combinations:

1. Super Mild - Use a low-heat red pepper like kashmiri chilies and a good quality paprika.
2. Mild/Moderate - Use moderately spicy chilies like guajillos and a good quality paprika.
3. Moderate/Spicy - Use moderately spicy chilies like guajillos and a medium-hot ground chili pepper (Korean gochugaru is good and flavourful!)
4. Hot - Use moderately spicy chilies like guajillos and a very hot ground chili like cayenne.
5. Screaming Hot - Use a spicy chili like árbol and a very hot ground chili like cayenne or bird's eye.

(Note: You can also adjust the spiciness of your berbere by choosing to either include or omit the seeds from whole chilies.)

When deciding on spice levels, bear in mind that most recipes that use berbere call for a LOT of it.  For example, my doro wat recipe calls for 1/2 cup.

I personally like to work in the moderate/spicy range.  Super mild is a good option for the spice-averse who might otherwise have been wary about trying Ethiopian food.  Screaming hot is... a lot. I personally don't think it's worth making berbere that hot (again, this is what mitmita is for), but I'm including it here to be comprehensive.

An aromatic and distinctive ingredient that adds depth and complexity to berbere. You don't want to overwhelm berbere with nutmeg. In fact, I would argue that berbere is probably better off with too little (or even no) nutmeg than too much.

I prefer to use freshly grated nutmeg, as it tends to have the best and most complex flavour.  Ground nutmeg is fine too of course - just make sure that it's not too old.

Garlic powder is a bit of a 'cheater' ingredient that we use to make dry-blend berbere work. Traditional berbere would use fresh onions, ginger, and garlic in order to make the 'wet' berbere, which would then be dried and blended with other aromatic spices.  We use dried versions of those ingredients here for a quicker, but still complex flavour.

Garlic powder can be a divisive ingredient, as some people find its flavour too overpowering.  If you're one of these people, I'd suggest toning the quantity down, or even substituting dry diced garlic.  If you've got time, you could also slice fresh garlic and dehydrate it or roast it until dry in a low oven.  This can be crushed or ground and used in place of garlic powder, and will often yield an even better flavour.

I will note that I personally find the aroma of garlic powder tends to jump out a bit too much initially, but it quickly mellows in the finished berbere.

Like nutmeg, cinnamon adds warm, aromatic complexity to berbere. And, like nutmeg, it's better not to overwhelm the berbere with it.

True cinnamon (e.g. Ceylon cinnamon) is preferable, but cassia cinnamon will work too.

Like onion and garlic powder, ground ginger is a shortcut ingredient that allows us to make up for the lack of a 'wet' stage in berbere production.

Dried ginger is quite different from fresh ginger, as it undergoes a number of chemical changes during the drying process.  That being said, the two converge somewhat in flavour when cooked, which is what makes it work in berbere.

You can dehydrate your own ginger if you want, and you may find the flavour a little fresher if you do.

Like garlic powder, onion powder is a bit of a 'cheater' ingredient that we use to make dry-blend berbere work. Traditional berbere would use fresh onions, ginger, and garlic in order to make the 'wet' berbere, which would then be dried and blended with other aromatic spices.  We use dried versions of those ingredients here for a quicker, but still complex flavour.

Make sure to use a fresh and good quality onion powder without any added salt.

As with garlic, you can also slice fresh red onion and either dehydrate it or roast it in a low oven.  Once sufficiently dry, this can be crushed and used in place of the onion powder.  If you have time for this step, it's a great one to take, as it yields a somewhat richer flavour and a deeper colour in the finished berbere.

Nigella, aka kalonji or 'black cumin', is a small, hard black seed. The flavour is similar to cumin, though it is entirely unrelated to that plant.  It also has somewhat onion-like, herbal and pleasantly bitter notes.  Nigella is not found in many English-language berbere recipes, but this has a lot to do with the fact that nigella and cumin are treated rather interchangeably in a lot of Amharic-language sources.  Many English translations therefore equate nigella and cumin.

If you don't have nigella, you can omit it and use a little more cumin in its place.

Besobela is an Ethiopian relative of Holy Basil. It's generally easy to find at Ethiopian grocery stores, as it's essential to the preparation of niter kibeh (spiced clarified butter).

Besobela tastes somewhat like sweet basil, but without the anise-like notes.  Instead, it tends to have much more pronounced spice notes similar to pepper, cloves, and allspice.

Traditionally, many berbere recipes make use of both besobela leaves and seeds at different stages during the preparation.  Leaves are generally a little easier to find, and are what I use here.

If you don't have besobela, you do have a few different options.  Thai holy basil (which is NOT the same as the more anise-y tasting Thai basil) makes a respectable substitute.  Dried sweet basil isn't a perfect match by any means, but it can still work here.  You can also omit the besobela entirely and (optionally) add an extra pinch of allspice.

Korarima, also (somewhat inaccurately) called Ethiopian cardamom, is an essential ingredient in berbere - which might seem like a problem if you don't have access to an Ethiopian grocery store. Fortunately, the flavour of korarima is very similar to green cardamom, making the latter an excellent (and easily sourced) substitute.  Green cardamom can be substituted for korarima at a 1:1 ratio.

Do not substitute black cardamom for korarima. Despite the similar appearance, the flavours are very different.

You don't see ajwain in all that many berbere recipes, but I think it's worth including.  Ajwain has a flavour similar to thyme, but with has a complex and unique character all its own.  In berbere, it adds herbaceous and 'green' flavour notes that help to add depth to the spice blend.

Ajwain can be found with ease at most Indian/South Asian grocery stores.

If you can't find ajwain, you can omit it, or substitute half the quantity of thyme.

Fenugreek is a distinctive and important ingredient with a very unique flavour and fragrance.  It's difficult to describe, but I find that many people recognize fenugreek as the primary aroma in curry powder. It's also used to make artificial maple syrup flavouring!

Fenugreek seeds are easily sourced at most grocery stores, and are especially easy to find at Indian and South Asian grocers.

I have seen berbere recipes that omit fenugreek, so it shouldn't be considered absolutely essential.  That being said, I think it's distinct complexity makes it an important building block in a good berbere recipe.

Cumin's earthy, warm, distinctive flavour makes a fantastic addition to berbere.  It's not used universally, but is popular in many English language berbere recipes. This is largely because nigella and cumin are given somewhat overlapping status in a lot of Amharic language sources (and/or their translations) and many recipes that call for cumin may actually be calling for nigella ('black cumin').

Cumin is easily found at a wide variety of grocery stores.  You can use cumin or nigella to make berbere - or both, as I do here.

One final note for anyone trying to translate ingredients: the Amharic word እንስላል (inisilali) is a broad term that refers to several very different tasting plants, including cumin, anise, and dill.  It can be used to refer to true cumin, but not to nigella.

Coriander has a sweet, bright, somewhat citrusy flavour that serves as both a compliment and a foil to some of the more pungent and earthy spices used to make berbere.  It's a wonderful  and easy-to-love ingredient that finds its way into a huge array of cuisines and spice blends.

Coriander is not found in every berbere recipe, but I personally consider it to be very important.  It's easy to source at virtually any grocery store.

Ground coriander is fine, and may be preferable to anyone without a good spice grinder, as the seed hulls can be difficult to break down. If you do use ground coriander, make sure that it's fresh.

We all know black pepper!  The distinctive, agreeable, and pungent flavour of pepper lends itself to all kinds of spice mixes, including berbere.

Odds are that you already have black pepper kicking around, but I will suggest that you make sure that it's a) fresh, and b) of good quality.

It's also worth noting that berbere has long been made with the related long pepper (Piper longum), which has a similar but arguably more complex and pronounced flavour.  Long pepper can be difficult to source though, so don't feel that you need to go out of your way for it.  If you do have long pepper, you can substitute it 1:1 for black pepper.

Rosemary is my secret ingredient! Traditionally made berbere makes frequent use of rosemary in the initial 'wet' stages, adding herbal and piney components to the finished spice mix. Despite the fact that it's very commonly used this way, it's almost never included in simpler dry berbere blends.

I periodically dry my own rosemary, primarily because store-bought rosemary is often so terrible (at least where I live).  Dried rosemary should still be pretty green looking.  Avoid the painfully hard, pale yellow-green stuff that frequently shows up in cheap grocery store bags.  It's generally lacking in flavour, and tends to be ridiculously hard to grind.

If you can't find good dried rosemary, you can substitute double the quantity of fresh.  Note that this will add some moisture to your berbere however, which might make it difficult to grind thoroughly, and will decrease its shelf life.  If you want to avoid these problems, simply add a small amount of finely chopped fresh rosemary to your berbere before using it in a recipe.

Cloves, like cinnamon and nutmeg, add a warm and complex character to berbere.  A little clove goes a long way, so use it sparingly.

You can substitute ground cloves for whole as long, as long as they're fairly fresh.  If you're in doubt, buy some whole cloves - they'll last longer, and (unlike some spices), they're exceptionally easy to grind.

Allspice is a common in English berbere recipes, but little-used in Amharic ones. Indeed, allspice itself seems to be a very uncommon ingredient in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking in general (hence the little-used and clearly borrowed Amharic name).  That being said, it compliments nutmeg and cloves very nicely, which has endeared it to many berbere makers in Europe and North America.

As its name suggests, allspice adds a variety of complex spice notes - particularly the 'warm' sorts of flavours and aromas that we pair well with nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and pepper.

In my opinion, allspice can best be thought of as something of a magic bullet ingredient in berbere.  The flavour is not meant to dominate, but it does help to emphasize many of the flavours being contributed by other ingredients.  It can also help to make up for the omission of ingredients like besobela.  You can omit allspice (after all, most traditional African versions do!), but if you do, I would encourage you to add a little more nutmeg in its place.

Allspice is easily sourced at most grocery stores.  I prefer to use whole allspice berries, but ground allspice is convenient.