Baharat Seasoning: What Goes Into It, Regional Versions and Uses

Baharat just means “spices,” and from the Persian Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean it changes from region to region and from family to family. Black pepper leads, backed by warm spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and allspice. The Gulf version can be fiery with chile, the eastern Mediterranean one can be little more than black pepper and allspice, and Turkish cooks use a related mix with dried mint. Ottolenghi calls it an everyday spice and compares its role in the Middle East to garam masala’s in India.

At a glance

The name

Katzer explains that baharat is an archaic Arabic plural of bahar, “spice,” so the name means something like “the spices.” Ottolenghi, RecipeTin Eats and Darina Allen all agree. The same root shows up in the Turkish word for allspice, yenibahar, literally “new spice.”

What is in it

Five published recipes and one merchant label show how much it varies:

Sources: Ottolenghi,³ RecipeTin Eats,¹ Darina Allen,⁴ UNL Extension,² Saveur.⁵

Katzer describes the Gulf form as pungent spices (black pepper, chiles and paprika) combined with aromatic ones (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom) plus cumin and coriander. The eastern Mediterranean form, he says, is a simpler mix of mainly black pepper and allspice. RecipeTin Eats, writing in the Lebanese “7 spice” style, says the blend changes from region to region and from family to family.

Turkish baharat

Saveur says mixes like this are common in kitchens all over Turkey. Its version adds dried mint and winter savory to cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and black pepper, plus a spoonful of pickling spice. So it’s more herbal than the Arab blends above, not just the same blend with mint thrown in.

Flavor and the compounds behind it

Baharat tastes warm and peppery. Clove and allspice bring a sweet, almost medicinal note, and cumin gives it an earthy base. With paprika or chile in the mix, it’s red, fuller and hotter. Its chemistry is just the chemistry of the individual spices:

Allspice and cloves share eugenol as the main component of their oils. We didn’t review any published aroma analysis of a baharat blend itself.

How baharat is used

• Lamb and mutton. Katzer says baharat goes mainly into mutton dishes. Saveur pairs its Turkish mix with marinated grilled lamb skewers.
• Kebabs, kofta and stews. Darina Allen uses it to spice Middle Eastern kebabs and stews. RecipeTin Eats puts it in kofta, arayes and meatballs, rubs it on chicken, lamb chops or fish before pan-frying or barbecuing, and tosses vegetables in it before roasting.
• Machboos. Katzer notes that baharat often gives machboos a slight piquancy.
• Everyday seasoning. Ottolenghi calls baharat an aromatic, everyday spice and compares its role in the Middle East to garam masala’s in India.³ UNL Extension suggests it for meat, fish, soups, rice, beans and vegetables.

Technique

Katzer says baharat is usually fried briefly in oil or clarified butter to bring out its fragrance. You can then use that same oil to baste meat or vegetables. That last idea is a cook’s trick; none of our sources describes it.

Buying and quality

There’s no standard for baharat, so the label tells you what you’re getting. Check whether paprika or chile is listed (it changes the heat and color a lot), whether allspice is in there, and whether salt has been added. UNL Extension toasts whole peppercorns, cumin, coriander, cloves and cardamom before grinding.

Storage

RecipeTin Eats says its blend keeps up to 3 months in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place.¹ Saveur gives up to 3 months for its Turkish mix, out of direct sunlight.⁵ UNL Extension gives up to a year in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.² That’s each publisher’s guidance; we didn’t find anyone who measured these shelf lives. The University of California Cooperative Extension lists air, light, moisture and heat as the things that speed up flavor and color loss in spices.

Safety

Mycotoxins in chile-containing blends. If your baharat contains paprika, chile or cayenne, note that EU law caps ochratoxin A in dried Capsicum products at 20 µg/kg, aflatoxin B1 at 5.0 µg/kg and total aflatoxins at 10.0 µg/kg.¹³

Lead in spices. A New York City health department review of 1,496 spice samples from 41 countries, collected 2008 to 2017, found detectable lead in more than half, and spices bought abroad had higher average levels.¹⁴ The abstract doesn’t break results down by blend.

Health claims

We found no regulator or systematic review that supports health claims for baharat as a blend, and we’re not making any. Claims that it improves digestion, lowers blood pressure or protects vision through its vitamin A are ones we couldn’t trace to any credible source.

Substitutes and related pages

For stand-ins, see baharat substitutes. Related blends: ras el hanout, hawaij, advieh, za’atar and garam masala.

The individual spices: black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, allspice, paprika and mint. Comparisons: cloves vs. cinnamon, allspice vs. cloves and allspice vs. black pepper. If one note has taken over a dish, see too much cumin, too much allspice or too much cinnamon. For more blends, see the list of herbs and spices.