Baharat. A new word in my vocabulary.
On my last trip to Moro, my lunch date and I swooned over an appetizer of spinach encased in the softest dough, wrapped much like a samosa. The spinach was flavoured with a mixture of spices that had us completely entranced. I don't even remember what the dish was called* but at the time the two of us drifted off for a moment as we tried to decipher what this heavenly flavour was. I was certain there was nutmeg and she was equally certain she could detect cumin. We finally asked our server to settle the matter once and for all. She headed off to ask the kitchen and came back with a piece of paper in hand and the word Baharat on it. She confirmed that it was a mix of not only nutmeg and cumin but several other spices. My lunch date and I pondered this new word in our vocabulary with more than a bit of awed appreciation.
Since it is just a mix of spices you might already have in your cupboard you could easily make it at home. I would love to tell you that I did that, but alas, I cheated. When I was at the Whole Foods the other day I saw it there on the shelf and couldn't resist taking the easy way out. The mix that I bought is made right here in the UK by Steenbergs and according to its ingredient list this baharat contains paprika, pepper, cumin, coriander seed, cassia, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. It is apparently widely used in areas surrounding the Persian Gulf to flavour mutton. Slight variations in its ingredient list are not uncommon, as you will see if you happen to do a google search on it.
It has a warm and musky scent; mellow but not lacking oomph. It was a great addition this past weekend to some greek yogurt which I served with spiced meatballs and flatbread. (oh I could sing the praises of greek yogurt for hours.)
I have an overflowing spice cupboard as it is but I always will gladly make room for more, especially one that is a wee bit exotic. A girl should never underestimate the power of a thrilling spice cupboard.
I'll keep you posted on my experiments with it, in the meantime I'm more than happy to get my thrill by taking a whiff from the jar every now and then.
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Update: check out Saveur's description and recipe for a Syrian version of Baharat as well as a Turkish version
*I have since been reminded by my 'lunch date with a fabulous memory' that the appetizer was called a fetayer, which seems to be spelled a multitude of ways including "fatayer". Here's some more google for you, there seems to be alot of variations.
Labels: london, London food shops, specialty food products
posted by Michèle at 11:30 AM
13 Comments:
Get crackin' on those experiments! I can't wait to see what you come up with using Barahat. Btw.. did you make your own greek yogurt from scratch?
I'm already thinking TRUFFLES with this.
sounds like a great spice, can't wait to see what you use it for. thanks for introducing a new word to my vocabulary too.
So what is the origin of baharat? What a fascinating find.
Love your blog, can't wait to follow it.
Michelle, I will hop to it! And no, I didn't make my own greek yogurt, although I must confess that on my list of things I want to do this year it is written "Make my own yogurt" ;)
I've got a couple of months left to get on that one. Phew!
Cindym, oh you are a smart girl. I'm assuming you mean of the chocolate variety right? Because that is a fabulously exotic suggestion. Love it. I think it would be a beautiful combination.
Kat, hopefully I can put it to good use soon-although it did taste pretty good with yogurt, so at least I'm off to a good start!
Kyla, well I didn't really find anything exciting about the origin except that its common to Arabic countries. There is also a turkish variety apparently that uses peppermint. The word baharat means 'spice' in Arabic.
And thanks, Im glad you like my blog!
what a wonderful find. i'll have to keep my eyes open for it around brussels. or else it will have to be london at the beginning of october
well michele, i feel neglectful...i only stumbled on oswego tea again by accident thanks to clotilde's post...i'm thrilled to see you're embedding yourself in london - have a blast...and i'll put you back on my favourites - later...from an increasingly colourful toronto in september!
nicky
Andreea, well I hope you have some good luck finding it, I think it is a rather thrilling addition to my spice cupboard--I hope you like it too.
Nicky, no need to feel neglectful! I did cry wolf, as they say--I took 4 months to regroup and then just couldn't fight the urge to blog again. So I sort of quietly eased my way back in. And oh, I miss this time of year in Canada--enjoy it!
No One should ever underestimate the draw of a well stocked spice cupboard...No One I tell you!
This sounds intriguing, so so interesting. But the part of this post that makes me a tad sad? That I don't live closer to you to partake of your adventures with Greek yogurt. :)
I love Steenberg's spices! I bet their baharat is fantastic. I actually made some myself from a recipe in one of Tess Mallos' books, and put it in what I hoped would be a recreation of that fethayer at Moro, but it was nowhere near as good. Hmmph. Maybe I should come back soon for another taste test :)
Alisa, aww.. I know I've said this before but you sure are a softie! I'll see you in a few weeks doll ;)
Melissa, I should have known you would remember the name of that yummy dish! I should have checked with you first. Unfortunately it's not on their menu these days, I should keep watch for it though in case it returns--it's worth a trip back just for that. Oh, and the bread too of course!
did you know that baharat means spice in turkish?and maybe in persian too..
Yummania, I did read that somewhere- very interesting! It's amazing how many variations of it there are, but I guess with a vague translation like "spice" it leaves it open for interpretation.
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