Arab Pantry

The ingredients behind the recipes

The Arab Pantry

From Aleppo pepper to za’atar, this is a practical guide to the spices, grains, cheeses, and everyday staples I reach for in my kitchen—what they taste like, how I use them, and why I keep them close.

Start here

A pantry built over time

You don’t need everything at once. Start with a few ingredients that show up again and again—good olive oil, tahini, sumac, za’atar, and pomegranate molasses—then build from there as you cook.

These pages are here to make unfamiliar ingredients feel easier to use, without turning them into something precious or complicated.

Spices & seasonings

Flavor builders

Za’atar

Earthy, tangy, and made for bread, yogurt, eggs, and vegetables.

Sumac

A bright, lemony spice that wakes up salads, onions, and grilled food.

Seven Spice

A warm all-purpose blend for rice, meat, stews, and family cooking.

Aleppo Pepper

Gently spicy, fruity, and useful far beyond one cuisine.

Nigella Seeds

Tiny black seeds with a savory aroma, especially good in breads.

Dried Mint

Fragrant, cooling, and essential in yogurt sauces and soups.

Grains & pulses

Everyday foundations

Freekeh

Smoky green wheat with a satisfying bite.

Burghul

Quick-cooking cracked wheat for salads, pilafs, and kibbeh.

Red Lentils

A dependable staple for fast, comforting soups.

Fava Beans

Hearty beans used for breakfasts, dips, and simple meals.

Sauces, oils & sweets

The finishing shelf

Tahini

Rich sesame paste for sauces, sweets, and everything between.

Pomegranate Molasses

Deeply sweet-sour and wonderful in dressings and marinades.

Olive Oil

The ingredient that quietly holds the whole kitchen together.

Halva

Crumbly sesame sweetness for eating, baking, and sharing.

Cook with what you have

The pantry should help, not intimidate

If an ingredient is new to you, start with one recipe. Taste as you go. Soon enough, it becomes part of the way you cook.