Baharat-A Tunisian Spice Mix
Baharat
Region: Tunisia
Category: Basic Recipes and Sauces
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy

Bahārāt simply means "mixed spices" in Arabic, coming from the root word bahār, meaning "pepper."* This particular spice mix is used in Tunisia, and is quite different from the bahārāt spice mix of the Levant. Dried rose petals can be purchased at www.adrianascaravan.com

Yield: Makes 1 tablespoon
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried rose petals

1 teaspoon very finely ground black pepper

Mix the ingredients together and store in a small jar.

Variation: 

Note: 

*There are many varieties of "mixed spices," such as āfāḥ, a spice mix from Djerid in the governate of Gabes, Tunisia, comprising coriander seed, caraway, cumin, aniseed, cinnamon, rose petals, turmeric, red pepper, dried garlic, cloves, black pepper, and gall. Gall is also known as oak apple, an excrescence caused mostly on oak trees by the insects of the genus Cynips. Gall is used in medicine and for tannin, an astringent complex phenolic substance of plant origin used for dyeing; see Kouki, Mohamed. La cuisine Tunisienne d' "ommok sannafa." Tunis: Maison Tunisienne de l'Edition, 1971: 568.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Posted: 03/01/2011