Baharat is a spice mix used in various Middle Eastern cuisines. In Arabic, “baharat” means “spices” (“bahar” in singular). Every region and country has their own baharat, which is slightly different from one country to another. You may use cooking baharat for any meat, poultry, fish, rice, and vegetable dish, for a rich, deep, Middle-Eastern flavor.
The first recipe is a basic mix that is widely used in Syrian, Lebanese, and Arab Israeli cuisines. You may play with the amounts of spices, or try removing one or two spices to create the perfect blend for you.
Syrian (Allepian/Halaby) style baharat
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground clove
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 ½ tablespoon ground paprika
Mix spices together and store in an airtight container.
The following baharat blend is used mainly in Iraqi cuisine.
Iraqi style baharat
2 tablespoon ground allspice
2 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground dried rose flowers
Mix spices together and store in an airtight container.
If not used very often, you may keep the baharat in the freezer to maintain freshness.