Chilli (filfil ah’mar) Hot in colour and flavour! Chilli powder is what gives the ‘kick’ to spicy foods in the Gulf. It comes in varying degrees of strength; cayenne pepper is not, in fact, a pepper but ground red chillies and is extremely hot. Cayenne pepper
Cinnamon (qarfa) Made from the bark of a tropical tree and sold in long, thin rolls, or ground in powder form. It can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. Cloves (qurinfil) Dried, unopened flower buds that can
Cumin
be used whole or ground to flavour meat, chicken or rice. Available in both ground and seed form, it has a pungent flavour and should be used sparingly.
Cumin (kamoon) Seeds are used whole in rice and bread, or ground in curries. It complements coriander in some dishes, particularly those from India. Masala
Masala for chicken or fish A much milder Middle
Nutmeg
Mace (jarkon) Lacy, orange covering of the nutmeg seed. Look for whole nutmegs, which still have the mace attached; otherwise, buy it ground. Milder in flavour than nutmeg, it is used in both sweet and savoury dishes.
Saffron
Eastern adaptation of the Indian mixture of ground spices. There are many different combinations but most contain black pepper, cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is often used as one of the ingredients of biriyani.
Nutmeg (jose al teeb) To get the best from nutmeg buy the spice whole and freshly grate for each use. It can be added to both sweet and savoury dishes. Saffron (zaff’aron) The dried stigmas of a crocus flower, saffron threads impart a delicate flavour and yellow colour to dishes and are widely used in cooking rice. This is the most expensive spice in the world.
Sumac
Turmeric
Zaatar
Sumac (soomak) An essential ingredient in local cuisine, used in spice rubs, marinades and dressings, and also served as a condiment. Sold as a coarse or fine powder, it is produced from the dried berries of a shrub common throughout the Middle East. It has a pleasant tangy taste with a hint of citrus. Turmeric (kurkum) The plant belongs to the ginger family, the ground rhizome of which used sparingly gives a slightly sweet taste and a deep yellow colour to rice and chicken dishes. Use with care as it can stain.
Zaatar (kurkum) Used in Arab cuisine as both a herb and spice mixture – it is generally ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or a combination, with toasted sesame seeds, salt, and sometimes sumac. © m a r h a ba
REFERENCES.indd 2
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