Lebanese 7 Spice Mix

Posted on by

photo WP_20170321_001_e_zpsywaa4tk6.jpgOver Rice, Pasta, in crepes. I love the taste of these spices when combined. The warmth they bring to a dish is wonderful.

March 22, 2017 Update: A Dear Reader needed a version without cinnamon and though it’s by no means a perfect substitute, cardamom can work in a pinch. This is used in a Marinade recipe and a No-Marinade recipe.

Ingredients

1 Part Black Pepper
1 Part Ground Allspice
1 Part Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Part Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Part Ground Coriander
1/2 Part Ground Cloves
1/2 Part Ground Ginger

For Roughly A Single Serving:

1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Ground Allspice
1/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Tsp Part Ground Nutmeg
1/8 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/8 Tsp Ground Cloves
1/8 Tsp Ground Ginger

Method

1. Mix it all together.

Advertisement

18 thoughts on “Lebanese 7 Spice Mix”

  1. Pingback: Lebanese 7 Spice Chicken Marinade | Pep's Free From Kitchen

  2. Pingback: Matchless YUM | Pep's Free From Kitchen

  3. Pingback: Lebanese 7 Spice Chicken, No Marinade | Pep's Free From Kitchen

  4. My mother-in-law, who was from the island of São Miguel in the Azores, systematically used cinnamon as part of her marinades. It gave the meat an interesting sweet taste, I liked it very much. I think the reason Azoreans used the spice back then was to prevent bacteria growth at a time when they didn’t have fridges. She also added a pinch of anise. My husband seems to have problems with cinnamon, God knows why, so we can’t use it, but I recommend that your other dear readers try your blend, as surprising as it may seem.

    Liked by 1 person

    • That’s really interesting, thanks for sharing. That’s a real pain, have you ever tried True Cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon)? It’s a bit harder to get, more expensive at times too, but maybe it’d be something to look into. I haven’t tried it myself, I just happen to have seen it mentioned a lot. Thanks you or your support. If I ever come across a similar recipe without cinnamon I’ll make sure to tell you.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I have tried organic ground cinnamon, organic cinnamon stick (hard to grind finely, this is where I would need to borrow your special grinder, you know, the one you will get once you have won the lottery!) but somehow it seems to cause him to react, which is very aggravating to him, given that it’s something he grew up with. We used to sprinkle it on sweet rice also, one of his mom’s staple desserts. I keep hoping that some day, he will be able to enjoy it again.
        Thank you for your suggestion and help.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Until then the old coffee grinder will have to stay in service. Perhaps someday it’ll actually grind coffee. That’s a real shame, I hope he’ll be able to reintroduce it to his diet. I’ll check through my recipes to see if I can find anything similar without cinnamon, but I doubt I have anything.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Just checked my pantry: the ground cinnamon came from Vietnam and the sticks / bark were from Ceylon. My very old electric coffee grinder didn’t do a good job of turning them into a powder, maybe because I didn’t have enough for the blades to really grab. I ended up with flake-like pieces at best. If this is the “real” cinnamon you talked about, I’d like to grind it better than this before using it.

        Liked by 1 person

      • I think one of us is going to need to win the lottery and get two f those fancy grinders. I’m going to look around and see if I can adapt the recipe to be cinnamon free. I can’t promise anything, but if I do succeed I’ll let you know.

        Liked by 1 person

      • It’s me again neighbour! Okay, I replaced the cinnamon with cardamom, funnily every other spice in this recipe is a replacement for cinnamon, and though its not exactly the same, it matches well and tastes great, there a pleasant hint of lemon flavour from the cardamom. When covered in a tahini sauce it was hard to tell that there was much of a difference. The list below makes enough to cover two chopped chicken breasts.

        1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
        1/4 Tsp Ground Allspice
        1/4 Tsp Ground Cardamom
        1/8 Tsp Part Ground Nutmeg
        1/8 Tsp Ground Coriander
        1/8 Tsp Ground Cloves
        1/8 Tsp Ground Ginger

        I hope it’ll work for your husband if you do try it. Take care.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you for taking the time to try it. I have cardamom and like its flavor. I may need to skip the allspice (cinnamon again, sorry) but I will let you know soon: there is chicken in the freezer.
        By the way, corn taco shells may be hard to make: the main ingredients is corn “masa”, not the same as corn flour. But I am not one to be stopped by this detail! Will try with added egg (real or flax). To be continued!

        Liked by 1 person

      • This uses the Allspice berry, not the blend, is that not okay? I wanted to try making them myself once, but never got the flour needed. I think one trick is to make the dough and press it between two sheets of greaseproof paper until flat. I look forward to seeing them!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Sadly, I don’t know about this “allspice berry”, dear neighbor… The spice tin I have kept for reference was made in Ireland and bought in Brittany — ah, what won’t I do for cooking! The brand is Goodall and the first ingredient listed is cinnamon. I can make my own blend by using the other spices: coriander, cloves, fennel seed, ginger, bay leaf.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Pingback: Same Old, Same New: One Last Note On Coconut Reductions | Pep's Free From Kitchen

  6. Joelle, you have a French name… I found that Allspice berries in French is called Bois d’ Inde, or sometimes piment/poivre de la Jamaique. Spice brands like Ducros, Albert Menes, etc. sell is either whole or ground. In contrast, the British allspice mix that is used in puddings and fruit cakes is a mix of warm spices, similar to the american pumpkin spice, a bit like the French 4 epices (but without the black pepper). I believe it contains allspice berries as well.

    I hope the cardamom version tasted nice. You could also try to substitute cinnamon with a bit of Mahlab, a powder made of ground sour cherry pits, which will give the mix a rounder flavor. (like nutmeg, a dash goes a long way, and it slight bitterness when raw disappears when heated, leaving a nutty, almondy, vanillay touch). Mahlab is used in many near eastern dishes and pastries. It can also be used in rice’s cooking water, to flavor milky puddings, etc.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. erratum, Pep, in previous comment, second paragraph, “substitute it” was intended to be “substitute cinnamon” with. I was not able to edit it after it was posted, so you may kindly do so yourself. Many thanks. hania

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.