Baharat

{{About|the spice blend|terms relating to India|Bharat (term)|other uses|Bharat (disambiguation)}}

{{Transliteration|ar|Bahārāt}} ({{langx|ar|بَهَارَات}} {{gloss|spices}}) is a spice mixture or blend used in Middle Eastern cuisines. The mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season lamb and mutton, fish, chicken, beef, and soups, and may also be used as a condiment.

Etymology

{{Transliteration|ar|Bahārāt}} is the Arabic word for "spices" (the plural form of {{Transliteration|ar|bahār}}, {{gloss|spice}}).Wehr, Hand (1979). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (4th ed.). Harrassowitz. p. 96. The word originates from the Persian word {{Transliteration|fa|bahār}}.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=بهر |trans-title=bhr |encyclopedia=Arabic–English Lexicon |last=Lane |first=Edward William |year=1863 |publisher=Williams & Norgate |location=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/ArabicEnglishLexicon.CopiousEasternSources.EnlargedSuppl.Kamoos.Lane.Poole.1863/01.ArabicEnglLex.v1p1.let.1.2.3.4..Alif.Ba.Ta.Tha..Lane.1863.#page/n302 |author-link=Edward William Lane |page=266 |section=بَهَارٌ |trans-section=bahārun |language=en |quote=[...] I regard بهار as a Persian word. (TA.)}} Alternate link: [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/02_b/202_bhr.html بهر] {{bracket|bhr}}.

Ingredients

{{Cookbook}}File:Gulfbaharatingredients.gif

Composition depends on the region the spice mix is from.{{Cite web |last=غفاری-ghafaridiet.com |first=دکتر |title=سوالات آیین نامه رانندگی |url=https://parsablog.com/downloads/%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%db%8c-%d8%a2%db%8c%db%8c%d9%86-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%87-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%86%d8%af%da%af%db%8c-%d8%a8%d8%a7-%d8%ac%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%a8/ |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=رژیم درمانی دکتر غفاری |language=fa-IR}} Typical ingredients of {{Transliteration|ar|baharat}} may include:

Allspice
Black peppercorns
Cardamom seeds
Cassia bark
Cloves
Coriander seeds
Cumin seeds
Nutmeg
Turmeric
Saffron
Ginger
Dried red chili peppers or paprika

One example of a recipe for {{Transliteration|ar|baharat}} is a mixture of the following finely ground ingredients:{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

6 parts paprika
4 parts black pepper
4 parts cumin seeds
3 parts cinnamon
3 parts cloves
3 parts coriander seeds
3 parts nutmeg
1 part cardamom pods

The mixture can be rubbed into meat or mixed with olive oil and lime juice to form a marinade.

Other variants

In the Levant a spice mix called {{Transliteration|ar|sabaa baharat}} ({{langx|ar|سبع بهارات}} {{gloss|seven spices}}) is used. Its origins are from Aleppo, Syria. Though it seems to slightly vary from province to province, the typical recipe for it is the following spices, ground and mixed:{{Cite web |title=Kibbeh: The National Dish of Syria |access-date=2022-04-07 |url=https://www.foodhopping.us/recipes/kibbeh-national-dish-syria/ |website=Food Hopping: What the World Eats |language=en-US}}

2 parts cinnamon
2 parts black pepper
2 parts cumin
2 parts cardamom
2 parts coriander
1 part nutmeg
1 part cloves

Turkish baharat includes mint in the largest proportion. In Tunisia, baharat refers to a simple mixture of dried rose buds and ground cinnamon, often combined with black pepper. In Eastern Arabia, loomi (dried black lime) and saffron may also be used for the kebsa spice mixture (also called "{{Transliteration|ar|baharat}}").