If you want to master the flavor profile of Middle Eastern cuisine, you'll need to keep your kitchen stocked with these 13 essential Middle Eastern Spices and seasonings! Then use them to make intriguing dishes like this Mixed Vegetable Iraqi Dolma and so much more!
If there's one thing you absolutely cannot cook Middle Eastern food without, it's Middle Eastern spices! Virtually every dish that comes from the Middle East is fragrant, heavily spiced, and bursting with flavor!
Whether you purchase these Middle Eastern spices at your favorite Middle Eastern market or make a harissa substitute using freshly ground spices, make sure you have these essential spices stocked in your kitchen for when you're in the mood for Middle Eastern cuisine! These ingredients will come in handy if making Pookhin, a tradition observed during the 3 day Nineveh fast!
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🌶 Middle Eastern Spices
1. Cardamom
Cardamom is sometimes referred to as "the Queen of Spices." Whether you use Black Cardamom vs Green Cardamom depends entirely on the dish! Black cardamom is smoky, earthy, and mostly used in savory foods like this lamb masala, while green cardamom is aromatic and usually used in sweet dishes such as Baklawa. Cardamom should be at the top of your must-have Middle Eastern spices list!
2. Baharat
Baharat seasoning is also known as "Arabic 7 spices" and can be used to season chicken, lamb, fish, soups, and marinades. Baharat is one of the most common Middle Eastern spices and is used to make Arayes (meat-filled pita pockets), Lahm bi Ajeen (Middle Eastern Pizza), and Kubba Halab (meat-filled rice balls).
3. Sumac
Sumac powder is a gorgeous crimson-colored spice used to enhance many Middle Eastern dishes including beef kofta kebab, marinades, Lebanese fattoush salad, and even desserts! One of the most popular Middle Eastern spices, it's made from dried sumac berries and has a sour, citrusy taste a bit like Tajin. I recommend using it to make sumac chicken, musakhan, marinated sumac onions, and this sumac cranberry mule.
4. Dukkah Spice
Dukkah spice is a spice blend used in Egyptian cuisine to flavor a wide variety of dishes including this pumpkin casserole (not very Egyptian, I know, but it pairs beautifully)! This warm, nutty spice mix is made with spices such as cumin, thyme, coriander (cilantro) seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, and hazelnuts. I recommend trying it with warm Middle Eastern bread and olive oil or swirling it into dips like this Lebanese hummus.
5. Zaatar
Zaatar spice is a popular Middle Eastern seasoning used to flavor dips, vegetables, bread, meat, and more. This savory spice mix gets its distinct flavor from herbs, especially thyme, as well as sumac and sesame seeds. You can use this substitute for zaatar to make za'atar chicken, falafel wraps, or Manakish (Lebanese za'atar bread).
6. Shawarma Spices
Shawarma Spices have been used throughout the Middle East for hundreds of years to season meats such as lamb, beef, and chicken. The aromatic flavor of this Middle Eastern spice mix contains hints of nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, allspice, and red pepper flakes. Use it to make beef shawarma, this chicken shawarma plate, or a delicious shawarma pizza.
7. Nigella Seed
Nigella seeds have a unique flavor that no two people seem to experience quite the same way. Some people claim they taste like cumin, coriander, or fenugreek seeds, while others say they have a subtle nutty flavor, and others say they are mild and sweet like peanuts. They look a lot like black sesame seeds but are not the same thing. They're used in both sweet dishes like kileche and savory dishes like lahm bi ajeen.
8. Biryani Spice
Although biryani originated in India, cultures throughout the Middle East use Biryani Spice in their cooking. It tastes strongly of curry, turmeric, and allspice and is used mostly to season rice dishes such as Chicken Biryani or Vegan Biryani.
9. Saffron
You've probably heard that saffron is the world's most expensive spice - this is because the fine, flavorful threads are so painstaking to harvest! Even so, it's an essential Middle Eastern spice for making dishes like Joojeh Kabab, Chebakia (Moroccan sesame cookies), and Saffron Rice.
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10. Bezar
Bezar spice is an Emirati spice mix used for seasoning meat dishes, seafood, veggies, and more! It's made with fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon, turmeric, and dried red chilies. Try it in potato stew or use it to season masgouf.
11. Allspice
There is a misconception that allspice is a spice blend, but this is not the case. Allspice is actually a berry of the Pimenta dioica tree. It's also known as pimento, Jamaica pepper, and myrtle pepper. The flavor is reminiscent of a combination of cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg, which could explain the name. Allspice is used in many Middle Eastern dishes including kubba hamuth, sambousek, and potato chop.
Photo by vojtech Havlis on Unsplash
12. Curry Powder
While curry is usually thought of as an Indian spice, you'll find it in many Middle Eastern recipes as well! Curry is used in recipes like this Middle Eastern lentil soup, cabbage dolma, and pickled mangoes (amba). You may think that curry is a single ingredient or that it's derived from curry leaves, but that's not the case! Curry is a spice blend made with spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek seeds, and more! If you'd like to make some from scratch, check out this curry spice recipe!
Photo by Taylor Kiser on Unsplash
13. Cumin Seed
Cumin is not only popular in Mexican dishes like this carne asada marinade but is often found in Middle Eastern recipes as well. The seeds are sometimes used whole, as in this Assyrian buried cheese recipe, and other times it's ground like in this falafel wrap recipe. When adding cumin to a spice blend, make sure to toast it first. It will be much more fragrant.
Photo by Umesh Soni on Unsplash
🍯 More Middle Eastern Ingredients
Spices aren't the only necessary component for dazzlingly tasty Middle Eastern food! Here are some other staples typically found in the average Middle Eastern kitchen!
- Loose Leaf Cardamom Tea
- Rose Water
- Pomegranate Molasses
- Tahini Paste
- Date Molasses & Date Syrup
- Dried Black Limes
- Tamarind
- Preserved Lemons
- Dates
- Turkish Coffee
This list can go on forever, but you get the picture!
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Arabic 7 spices, also known as "Baharat", can vary by region, but typically include:
1. Black pepper
2. Cinnamon
3. Cloves
4. Cumin
5. Coriander
6. Cardamom
7. Nutmeg
Sumac, an intensely red spice made of crushed berries from the sumac plant, is a sour, citrusy seasoning used in Lebanese cuisine and dishes throughout the Middle East.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- To maximize the flavor of your Middle Eastern spices, use fresh spices when making spice mixes.
- Make spice mixes in small batches, that way they're used up before they lose their potency.
- If you make a larger batch of Middle Eastern spices, you can freeze some to extend the shelf life.
- Toasting ingredients such as seeds, nuts, and whole chilies will improve the flavor of any spice mixes that call for them.
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Kelly Methey says
I love this post! It’s so interesting and informative. Thanks to you and your blog and friendship, I now have several of these apices in my cupboard.
You have opened a whole new world of international cooking to me and I love it. Thanks for all this really good info. I will be adding a few more of these to my shopping list.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly, I'm happy that you are being exposed to new information and upping your cooking game!
Shala Carter says
Shlama!
Well, I have about three of these spices! Time to up my game.
Blessings!
Hilda Sterner says
Haha, better get busy!
Kathy Fisher says
Wow, what great information. Very helpful. My family always used allspice in meatloaf. That's why I love my mom's recipe. But, I always thought it was the clove mixture you mentioned. Interesting. And, of course green cardamom is at the top of my list of favorite spices. And, it's also used a lot in Scandinavian holiday bread recipes - at least it is in our family. Of course Hilda's Cardamom Shortbread Cookies (Shakar Lama) beats out all other cookie recipes on the planet. Thank you Hilda. You are a huge blessing to so many.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Kathy Fisher for your sweet comment. I sure appreciate you!