Lebanese 7 Spices (Baharat)

Lebanese 7 Spice (sabaa baharat) is a pantry ‘must-have’ spice blend. It is widely used in Lebanese cooking, and found in many dishes. It is aromatic with a hint of bitterness and sweetness.

What is Lebanese 7 Spice?

Lebanese seven spices are also known as "sabaa’ baharat" which translates to "7 spices" from Arabic into English. It is sometimes just lazily referred to as baharat.

Baharat is an essential Middle Eastern pantry staple. It’s the most used spice blend in my cooking.

Baharat is pronounced as ‘bah-ha-raht’, which is the English word for ‘spices’.

Lebanese 7 spices add volumes of flavor to any savory recipe. It is used in soups, stews, braising, rice, salads, kibbeh, and more. I especially love it in my spiced rice.

Spices You'll Need

I’ve listed the ground spices in alphabetical order, I like them in equal parts to make my seven spice mix from Lebanon, however, you can adjust the quantities to suit your taste. 

• Allspice (بهارحلو - Filful Franjy 7iloo) - also known as Jamaica pepper, pimento, pimento, or myrtle pepper. Allspice is a brown berry from the Pimenta dioica. It was given its name ‘allspice’ as it resembled the flavoring of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. 
• Black pepper (فلفل اسود - Falful aswad) - made from a dried peppercorn fruit of a flowering vine, this is a common spice used across with world.
• Cinnamon (قرفة -Kirrfeh)- used in both savory and sweet dishes, cinnamon is made from the bark of various cinnamon trees.
• Clove (كبشقرنفل - Karinful) - dried flower buds, can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.
• Coriander (كزبرة - Kizbra)- Whole dried coriander seeds are ground up to create this spice.
• Cumin (كمون - Kamoon) - a dried fruit seed pod, widely used throughout the Middle East and Asia.
• Nutmeg (جوزةالطيب - Jawzat altayib) - either seed or ground spice of several species of Myristica. Can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes.

How To Make Lebanese 7 Spice

Prepare the Spices

Measure out either the spices whole or already ground. If you like to grind your own spices use a spice mill, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle, grind each spice individually until they reach a fine consistency. You can see me grinding spice in this quick video.

Start with the harder spices like nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, and cloves, and then move on to the softer ones like black peppercorns, allspice berries, coriander seeds, and ginger.

Combine the Ground Spices

Once all the spices are ground, transfer them to a mixing bowl. Mix them thoroughly to ensure an even distribution of flavors.

Store in an Airtight Container

Transfer the ground Lebanese Seven Spice blend into an airtight container or spice jar with a tight-fitting lid. I love to use recycled jars to store my spices as per the photo below.

Label and date to keep track of freshness, then store the spice blend in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to preserve its flavor.

Variations

Lebanese seven spices blend can differ between regions of Lebanon or even families. Other used spices are fenugreek, cardamon, ginger to name a few.

There are other Middle Eastern 7 spices (which contain different spices to make the blend) out there such as;

Arabic 7 spice

Egyptian 7 spice

Syrian 7 spice

Iraqi 7 spice

Beirut 7 spice - this is a new one I recently came across in a Middle Eastern grocer, it’s a bright orange-ish color, and tastes fabulous - it contains paprika. 

Lebanese 7 Spices Uses

I've listed more delicious recipes in the below recipe card too, but here is a fabulous list to start with.

• Freekeh soup - A vegan ancient grain soup
• Molokhia - my favorite comfort food of jute mallow leaves
• Bamia - wholesome stewed okra
• Lebanese Kibbeh - the ultimate potato and bulgur on a bed of onion and sultanas.
• Malfouf - stuffed cabbage leaves
• Lebanese moghrabieh - aromatic pearl couscous with chickpeas
• Ghallaba - a Lebanese veggie saute

Where To Buy

Lebanese 7 spice mix is always found at your local Middle Eastern grocer, which can be sold prepackaged or by-weight, be sure to specifically ask for the Lebanese blend.

If purchasing prepackaged baharat from a store, check the ingredients. I recently came across a blend that contains so many unnecessary ingredients such as natural flavors, color additives, and acidity regulators.

You can also find it online, buy 7 spice here

FAQ

More Seasoning Recipes

Another Middle Eastern spice blend that's always in my pantry is my easy shawarma spice mix, I also love keeping a homemade spice blend for falafel to make sure I get that authentic flavor, and a blend of homemade Lebanese zaatar.