Middle Eastern cuisine uses some of the most exciting spices and spice blends in the world. Richly aromatic and deeply flavorful, these spices are one of the reasons Middle Eastern cuisine is so beloved around the world.
Here are the most important spices and spice blends in Arabic cuisine, that you should make sure to add to your spice cabinet!
Middle Eastern Spices & Spice Blends
Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend made from a herb mixture usually containing thyme, sumac, cumin, salt, and other spices. It’s used extensively throughout the Levant countries as a topping for Arabic pita bread, meat, yogurt, hummus, and salads.
Sumac has a tangy flavor that tastes lemony but is less intense than fresh lemon juice. The spice can be used as a dry rub, in marinades, or sprinkled on top of salads or sauces – it adds a beautiful pop of color to dishes. It’s especially good sprinkled on hummus!
Aleppo pepper (or Halaby pepper) is a Middle Eastern spice made from a dried chili pepper that’s crushed into flakes.
It’s often used as a rub for chicken or incorporated into sauces. Because it’s a milder chili, it can be used to finish a dish, similar to red pepper flakes.
Urfa Biber (also known as Isot Pepper) is a crushed, dried chili pepper. The spice gets its name from the region in Turkey it’s grown in (Urfa) and the Turkish word for pepper (Biber). It’s typically described as having chocolate, raisin, and coffee flavors (smoky, sour, and sweet all in one).
Turmeric can be used in many ways. One of its primary uses is in food, where it adds a pungent, mustard-like flavor. It can change the color of a dish significantly – especially when used in rice, curries, yogurt, and cakes.
Dukkah (pronounced doo-kah) is an Egyptian nut, seed, and spice mix used as a topping and dip for meat, fish, and vegetables.
Hawaij spice (also known as Hawayej, Hawaj, and Hawayij) means “mixture” in Arabic. It’s a spice blend with primarily cumin and black pepper and often contains cardamom, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
This hawaij spice blend can be used in savory dishes - like soups, curries, and as a rub on meat.
Baharat (which means "spices" in Arabic) is a spice blend used in Middle Eastern (especially the Arabian Gulf region) and Greek cuisine.
Ras el Hanout is a Middle Eastern spice blend used in tagines, soup, rice dishes, and on vegetables.
Mahlab is the pit of a small sour cherry tree (St. Lucy’s) found in the Mediterranean. The pits are cracked and then ground, to form a powder. It has a fruity flavor but is also bitter.
Mahlab is often used in Middle Eastern baked goods, like bread and cookies.
Cardamom is a spice made from seed pods – the most common of which have a papery green skin. Cardamom is highly aromatic and prized around the world.
Fenugreek is used as both a herb (dried leaves) and a spice (seeds). It's both sweet and bitter, and it’s often roasted in its whole form before blending to cut some of the bitterness. In powder form, fenugreek is especially aromatic. It pairs well with cumin, fennel, cardamom, and turmeric.