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Anise Seeds

A spice native to the Middle East. It has a mild fragrant aroma and a sweet taste that is similar to licorice .

Kibbeh Spice (Kamouneh)

A mixture of spice that is unique to southern Lebanon and used with all kinds of kibbeh (vegetarian or meat kibbeh).  The most common blend usually contains cumin seeds, edible rosebuds,dried basil, dried marjoram, dried mint, black peppercorns and allspice.

Mahlab

An aromatic white spice used in the Middle East for baked goods.

Split Lentils

Used in soups and “mujdara Safra”

Semolina

On the blog or int he book, coarse semolina is always referred to as semolina.  Smida or semolina is prouduced from the milling of the durum wheat.  Semolina is used in lots of oriental sweets.

Farina or Farkha

It s the same kind of semolina that is used to make pasta, breakfast cereals and pudding. Simply it is the very fine semolina. In Arabic it is called farkha.

Mastic Gum

Used as a flavoring predominantly in oriental sweets. Mastic is the dried resin that steeps through the bark of the Pastacia lentiscus, a tree native to the Mediterranean. Mastic is also believed to be good for digestion.

Olive Oil

Seven Spice

A Lebanese Syrian mixture. The classic mix contains ground black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and coriander.

Daet Kaak

A brown powder that is a mix of several spices! It adds a deep flavor to some baked goods.