Mahlab, Spice
Mahlab is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of St Lucie Cherry or Prunus mahaleb. Prunus mahaleb is a species of cherry in the family Rosaceae, native to central and southern Europe, western and central Asia, and northwest Africa. Mahlab is also known as mahleb or mahlepi. Prunus mahaleb (St Lucie cherry, Rock cherry or Mahaleb cherry) is a deciduous tree or large shrub, growing 2-10 m tall with a trunk diameter of up to 40 cm. It has gray-brown bark with conspicuous lenticels on young stems. Old trunks are shallowly fissured. The green, alternate, serrate-edged and glabrous leaves are 1.5-5 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, clustered at the end of alternately-arranged twigs. In mid-spring, the bee-pollinated, pure white, small and fragrant flowers, 8-20 mm, in diameter, with an 8-15 mm pedicel, are arranged 3-10 together on a 3-4 cm long raceme. The thin-fleshed fruit is a small cherry-like drupe, 8-10 mmin diameter. The cherries, which have a bitter flavor, are green at first, turning red, then dark purple to black when fully mature in mid to late summer. The cherries are used in jams, preserves and can be dried. The cherry stones are cracked to reveal the seed kernels. The seed kernel is 5 mm in diameter, soft and chewy on extraction, and is ground before use. The spice has a distinctive flavor, tastes slightly like almonds with a hint of a sharp, sour taste. Mahlab is a popular spice in Middle East and neighboring regions, usually add to baked goods and holiday foods. It is expensive and is difficult to get outside of Middle East. It is better to ground the seeds before use, to preserve the flavor. Ground spice loses flavor quickly.  Mahlab Author: Jeantosti (public domain) | ||
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