Arabic & Levantine Pantry Guide
Turmeric (Kurkum / Uqda Safra): The Golden Spice for Rice, Stews and Sfouf Cake
Turmeric (known in Arabic as kurkum, uqda safra in the Levant and kharqoum in North Africa) is the bright golden-orange powder ground from cured turmeric rhizomes. Warm, earthy and gently woody, it gives Middle Eastern rice pilafs, lentil soups, tagines and Lebanese sfouf cake their sunny colour and mellow depth.
Blooming Turmeric in Warm Ghee or Olive Oil
A close relative of ginger, the turmeric root is boiled, dried and milled into a vivid yellow powder. Its flavour is warm and subtly musky rather than hot, with a slight bitterness if used with a heavy hand. Because turmeric's golden pigment is fat-soluble, Middle Eastern cooks almost always stir half a teaspoon of ground turmeric into hot ghee or olive oil with sautéing onions for a few seconds at the start of cooking, which takes the raw edge off the powder and colours the broth evenly.
In Golden Rice, Mansaf, Soups and Fish
Whenever rice arrives at the table in a cheerful golden hue – whether under Jordanian lamb mansaf, in Palestinian maqluba, or in Gulf mandi and kabsa – a pinch of turmeric is usually the secret. It is a key ingredient in kabsa spice mix, yellow Moroccan ras el hanout and chicken shawarma marinades, adds a warm glow to red lentil soup and harira, and gives pan-fried fish fillets a crisp golden crust.
Lebanese Sfouf Cake and Ginger-Turmeric Tea
Turmeric also stars in the Levant's most famous everyday tea cake: sfouf. Made from fine semolina, flour, sugar, aniseed and oil without any eggs or dairy, sfouf gets its brilliant canary-yellow crumb and subtle earthiness from a spoonful of ground turmeric, topped with pine nuts or almonds and sesame paste. Combined with green tea and ginger, turmeric also brews a popular warming infusion.
