Name: Walnut and Pepper Dip (Muhammara)
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Syrian
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 2 tablespoons tahini, plus more for garnish; 200 grams ground/chopped walnuts, plus a handful of toasted walnut halves for garnish; 1 teaspoon brown sugar, if needed; 100 grams fine bread crumbs (reserve 2 teaspoons for garnish); Up to 1 cup (250 milliliters) water, as needed; 2¾ tablespoons (40 milliliters) olive oil, plus more for garnish; 100 grams ground red hot pepper/pepper paste; 100 grams ground red sweet bell pepper/pepper paste

Preparation info

4
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Cuisine of Life

By Center for International Private Enterprise

Published 2019

About

This versatile dish has a unique earthy, sweet, and sour flavor. It’s served as a dip, spread for breakfast, or as a side dish with kebabs and chicken. In Damascus, this is one of the appetizers (muqabilat) prepared for feasts, alongside humus, baba ganoush, and fattoush, decorating tables for guests. Muhammara is prepared with one part sweet and one part hot peppers; in other regions such as Aleppo, it’s prepared only with hot peppers. Muhammara is easy to prepare and enjoyed by almost eve