Before I started making pâté, I only knew one numbered spice mix: Chinese five spices. But as I read more pâté recipes, I kept seeing “four spices” and “quatre épices” and I wondered what that was. Now that I’ve made four spices/quatre épices from scratch for my pâtés, I wanted to share my knowledge of this spice mix with you.
So … what is quatre épices/four spices anyway?
Quatre épices/four spices is a spice mix used in French and Middle Eastern cooking. Most épices/four spices recipes are pepper (often white), nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Recipe variations include a base of black or white pepper and nutmeg with two of these other spices: cloves or allspice and cinnamon or ginger. Most recipes contain twice as much pepper as the other spices, though the spice ratios are flexible.
Now you know the basic of quatre épices/four spices, let’s discover more about this warm spice mix that makes pâté and lamb Marrakech delicious.
What are the spice variations for quatre épices/four spices?
As mentioned above, quatre épices/four spices recipes are generally pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. These recipes may warn you that white pepper is the superior choice but, if you must, you can use black pepper.
Recipe variations include a base of black or white pepper and nutmeg with two of these other spices: cloves or allspice and cinnamon or ginger.
Jane Grigson, in her 1967 book, Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery, says, “Quatre épices is a French blend of four spices, pepper, nutmeg, cloves and either cinnamon or ginger, for use principally in charcuterie.”
In Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, Fourth Edition, The Culinary Institute of America suggests black peppercorns, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon for its quatre épices recipe.
This is the same spice mix recommended by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn in their book, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing, though the spice ratios are rather different between the two recipes.
Interestingly, Silk Road Diary, a site that offers spice-centric recipes, says, “Despite its name, which means “four spices” in French, this blend never seems to keep strict count on the number of its ingredients.” Indeed, the Silk Road Diary quatre épices/four spices recipe contains six spices: black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, cloves, mace and cinnamon.
What are spice mix ratios for quatre épices/four spices?
There’s a lot of variation in the ratios of the spices used in quatre épices/four spices recipes. Looking at Jane Grigson’s wisdom from 1967, it seems safe to say there’s no “right answer” to the four spices recipe question. Jane says, “Every big spice merchant has his own blend, so the proportions can vary—though pepper is always the main element.”
I suggest starting with a recipe you can easily remember when you’re at the spice store without your list. For me, that’s the 2-1-1-1 version I learned from Rebecca Franklin’s Quatre Épices Recipe found at the Spruce Eats. This is two parts pepper, one part each of nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
Also in the easy-to-remember category is the quatre épices/four spices ratio in Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing: 3-1-2-2 for pepper, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.
Back to Jane Grigson … she reports that the Larousse Gastronomique goes even heavier on the pepper. Their quatre épices/four spices recipe is white pepper (125 grams), nutmeg (35 grams) cloves (10 grams) and ginger (30 grams). (By the way, I don’t have a copy of the Larousse Gastronomique so I can’t say if their modern-day recipe is the same as it was in the 1960s.)
All that to say, quatre épices/four spices is a flexible recipe so try a few to see which version you like best!
What is quatre épices/four spices used for?
Quatre épices/four spices is used for cooking and baking. In cooking, it’s used for pâté, rillettes and other charcuterie such as sausages, plus soups, pork roasts, lamb Marrakech, beef (or venison) stew and some vegetable dishes such as carrots, sweet potatoes and vegetable gratins. In Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery, Jane Grigson suggests four spices works well in mashed potatoes and as an addition to a mustard and brown sugar glaze for baked hams. Actually, this is a full-body recommendation—Jane suggests using four spices for trotters (feet) and fromage de tête (head cheese).
In baking quatre épices/four spices is used for cakes, icing, puddings, spice bread (pain d’épices) and cookies, including gingerbread cookies.
Wait, there’s more…
Well, that answered the two main questions about what quatre épices/four spices is made of and what to do with it. But maybe you have more questions about this spice mix…if yes, keep reading as there’s even more to say about it!
What’s the difference between the savoury and sweet versions of quatre épices/four spices?
According to the Silk Road Spice Merchant, the sweet version of quatre épices/four spices uses allspice instead of pepper. However, you don’t need to use a sweet version for sweet recipes.
Food.com contributor @French Tart says, “There is a school of thought that suggests the need for a “sweet” quatre épices spice mix as well a “savoury” quatre épices spice mix; I have never bothered to deviate from this basic recipe, which is equally delicious in savoury dishes (as mentioned above), and when used with moderation in sweet puddings, rich cakes and biscuits.”
What cuisines use quatre épices/four spices?
Quatre épices/four spices is used in French and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Can you buy quatre épices/four spices at the store?
You can buy quatre épices/four spices at some specialty stores, including online specialty stores (like the Silk Road Spice Merchant mentioned above). But don’t count on seeing this spice mix at your regular grocery or health food store. Instead, buy the fresh spices and grind them yourself at home. Many people advocate making a small amount of quatre épices/four spices at a time because spices are most lively just after they’ve been ground.
Can I use allspice as a quatre épices substitute?
Allspice is so named as it’s said to be an all-in-one version of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. In Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery, Jane Grigson says this about allspice, “Not to be confused with the blend of spices known as quatre-épices … though it provides a useful substitute in this country where quatre-épices is generally not available.”
Of course, this book was written in the 1960s; by now, pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger aren’t too hard to find in even a modestly adventurous spice drawer.
Four recipes to try that call for quatre épices/four spices!
You might have a pâté recipe in mind already for your quatre épices/four spices mix but if not, why not take one of these recipes for a test drive?
Quatre Épices Cake
Silk Road Diary
Lamb Marrakech
The James Beard Foundation
https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/lamb-marrakech
Biscuit Apple Cobbler with Quatre Épices
Blue Apron
https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/biscuit-apple-cobbler-with-quatre-epices
Beef Stew in Red Wine
Picquant Post
https://piquantpost.com/blogs/recipes/beef-stew-in-red-wine
By the way, how do I pronounce quatre épices?
Quatre épices are two French words that literally mean four spices. If you’re from France, you’d pronounce quatre as ka-truh. If you’re from Quebec, you’d pronounce it like kat.
Épices is pronounced eh-piece.
So, you can say ka-truh eh-piece or kat eh-piece or four spices.
Funny story, I speak French very badly, but go more towards French-Canadian pronunciation so when I was telling my aunt about making quatre épices for my pâté and she said, “What? Cat piss?”
Here are French guys saying quatre and épices:
How to Say 4 in French? Translation & Pronunciation (Number Four, Quatre) – YouTube
Epice – How To Pronounce – French Native Speaker – YouTube
Conclusion
Well, that’s about all I know about quatre épices/four spices. As you can see, this spice mix is a flexible way to bring some excitement to both your sweet and savoury dishes. Enjoy!