Six Popular Spice Blends from the World of Middle Eastern Cuisine

by Kristen White Blogger

What is a spice? It is an ingredient that provides you with so much in terms of taste, tang, essence, and aroma. And it’s just not that; spices are known to be one of the key ingredients for health befitting elements that we can’t get from other sources.

When talking about spices, it is important to note that different regions provide their unique contributions to them. Some are present naturally while some have been developed based on their specific cuisine culture. And such is the quality and uniqueness of Middle Eastern spices that have made them one of the most sought after throughout the world. When you are looking for Middle Eastern spices, make sure you find the best one, as we also have listed some of the best from this cuisine culture here:

Egyptian Dukkah

This is one of the most popular spice mixes in the Egyptian culture and is one which is often used in their street food offerings. It is a mix of roasted nuts that are prepared with a seasoning of spices and herbs, like a blend of hazelnuts and ground almonds that is mixed with coriander, sesame seeds, sumac, cumin, thyme, marjoram, and salt.

Ras el Hanout

It is a Moroccan spice mix that is prepared by blending different ingredients in specific proportions, including clove, cardamom, mace, cumin, dry ginger, peppercorn, cinnamon, paprika, coriander seed, nutmeg, dry turmeric, chili peppers, and fenugreek. This heady, aromatic mix of spice can often be consisting of 40-50 different ingredients.

Za’atar

It is one of those spice blends that are available in several varieties depending on where you are in the Middle Eastern region. This provides this specific spice mix with a number of textures, flavors, and fragrances. Usually, it is a mix of thyme, dried oregano, marjoram, sumac, and sesame seeds (toasted), along with also in the form where additional elements like dried dill, salt and dried orange zest can also be found.

West African Satay

Inspiration from the cuisine of West African peanut curries, this is a type of curry sauce that is developed using a number of herbs and spices mix. This spice mix is preferred to be used with all types of meats in this region.

Ethiopian Berbere

Full of flavor and heat, this fiery hot spice mix is a traditional Ethiopian delicious offering that is developed creating a blend of garlic, chilies, fenugreek, and some warm spices like cinnamon, allspice and so on.

Lebanese Baharat

This is a Lebanese specialty that is developed using a mix of ingredients including coriander, cardamom, cloves, cumin, black pepper, nutmeg, paprika, and cinnamon.

Conclusion:

Middle Eastern spices have created a special place for themselves in the world of cuisine. When you are looking to flavor your kitchen with some amazing recipe, these can be a wonderful option to try next time. Make sure that whatever spice you are buying as mentioned above, or others you want to buy dried chilies, shop from a quality backed online store only.