Spice news
TradePatel Retail launches 23-product whole spices range under Indian ChaskaChilliChili Prices Hit Rp100,000 per Kg: What's Happening?ChilliChicago-Area Brand The Spice Drops Launches a Concentrated Chili Oil That Makes Food Spicy Without Changing the FlavorHarvestSaffron In The Cold Desert? Ladakh Is Putting 90,000 Iranian Corms To The TestMarketsUttar Pradesh Gears Up To Become Global Hub For Spice Processing & ExportsHarvestWhy 100 UP Farmers Are Growing Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop RaidsHarvestKashmir Squanders SaffronChilliChesapeake Chili Crisp? A DC-Area Chef Is Putting Unexpected Spins on the Condiment.HarvestRed Gold In Cold Desert: Iranian Corms Take Root As Ladakh Begins Saffron Farming Under 'Him Sarovar'TradeSpice market update: cumin continues its upward trendTradePatel Retail launches 23-product whole spices range under Indian ChaskaChilliChili Prices Hit Rp100,000 per Kg: What's Happening?ChilliChicago-Area Brand The Spice Drops Launches a Concentrated Chili Oil That Makes Food Spicy Without Changing the FlavorHarvestSaffron In The Cold Desert? Ladakh Is Putting 90,000 Iranian Corms To The TestMarketsUttar Pradesh Gears Up To Become Global Hub For Spice Processing & ExportsHarvestWhy 100 UP Farmers Are Growing Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop RaidsHarvestKashmir Squanders SaffronChilliChesapeake Chili Crisp? A DC-Area Chef Is Putting Unexpected Spins on the Condiment.HarvestRed Gold In Cold Desert: Iranian Corms Take Root As Ladakh Begins Saffron Farming Under 'Him Sarovar'TradeSpice market update: cumin continues its upward trend
EveryMasala

Regional blends

Baharat

The Arabic word for spices, also a warm all-purpose blend of pepper, cinnamon and cumin.

Baharat means spices in Arabic. As a blend it is a warm, savoury mix used across the Gulf, Iraq, the Levant and Turkey. It resembles garam masala in role, but it leans on black pepper, paprika and cinnamon.

What goes in

Black pepper: 25%25%Paprika: 19%19%Cumin: 19%19%Coriander seed: 13%13%Cinnamon: 13%13%Clove: 6%Nutmeg: 6%16parts

Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.

  1. Step 1: Toast Toast the pepper, cumin and coriander in a dry pan.
  2. Step 2: Toast Add the cinnamon, clove and cardamom briefly.
  3. Step 3: Rest Cool them completely.
  4. Step 4: Grind Grind finely with the nutmeg.
  5. Step 5: Blend Mix with the paprika.
  6. Step 6: Store Store in a sealed jar.
  7. Black pepper: 25%25%Paprika: 19%19%Cumin: 19%19%Coriander seed: 13%13%Cinnamon: 13%13%Clove: 6%Nutmeg: 6%
    Finished Baharat, by share.

Regional versions

Gulf versions may include dried lime or saffron. Turkish baharat can include dried mint. Typical parts are black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg and paprika.

Use

It is rubbed on lamb and chicken, stirred into rice and stews, and used to season kofta and meat fillings.

Where it is used

KoftaStuffed vegetablesRice pilafLamb

The spices in it

Black pepperBase.PaprikaColour.CinnamonWarm.CuminThe dried seed of a small parsley-family herb, used whole or ground in many world cuisines.CorianderThe leaves and dried seeds of an annual Mediterranean herb used in cuisines worldwide.CloveThe dried flower bud of a tropical tree, prized for its intense warmth and numbing bite.NutmegThe dried seed of a tropical evergreen tree, prized for its warm, pungent flavor.

More on EveryMasala

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBlack pepper The dried fruit of a climbing vine, the world's most traded spice.Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven spices you may not know, what is cooking this week, and one blend explained step by step.