Baharat

Almost every spice blend used in the Arab world and Middle Eastern cooking is known as baharat, which literally means ‘spices’, the equivalent of India’s masala. Each blend varies from region to region, family to family, but the overall flavour of baharat is not dissimilar to allspice. The baharat of North Africa is fiery-hot; the version of the Levant can rely more heavily on cinnamon; the Egyptians use more cumin; and the cooks of the Gulf States include more cardamom and nutmeg to make a