Cinnamon (Qirfa) in Arabic Cooking: Savoury Dishes, Rice and Sweets
In Arabic kitchens, cinnamon (qirfa) is used just as widely in savoury lamb, chicken and rice pots as in pastries and winter drinks. Whole sticks perfume broths and kabsa rice, while ground cinnamon anchors seven-spice blends, kibbeh fillings, moghrabieh and hot sahlab.
Savoury depth in stocks, minced lamb and festive rice
Across the Levant, Egypt, Iraq and the Gulf – where cinnamon is also called darsin – cooks reach for cinnamon almost daily at the stove. Dropping a whole stick into poaching water with green cardamom pods and bay leaves gives chicken and lamb broths a clean, aromatic warmth for maqluba, freekeh, kabsa and spiced fish pilaf (sayadieh). Finely ground cinnamon is a cornerstone of Levantine seven-spice (sabaa baharat), lending subtle sweetness to browned minced lamb and pine nuts for kibbeh, stuffed courgettes and vine leaves, and pairing with caraway in Lebanese moghrabieh.
Pastries, winter puddings and walnut-topped cinnamon tea
In sweet dishes, ground cinnamon scents chopped walnut fillings tucked inside crisp baklava and Ramadan qatayef pancakes, dusts steaming mugs of sahlab and defines meghli, the spiced Levantine rice pudding garnished with nuts and coconut. On chilly evenings, whole cinnamon sticks are simmered gently in water for 10 minutes to brew ruby-amber qirfa tea, served hot in glasses with crunchy walnut pieces floating on top.
When to choose whole sticks versus ground cinnamon
Use whole cinnamon sticks whenever you want gentle fragrance in clear broths, sugar syrups, teas or pale rice without muddying the colour, then lift the stick out before serving. Reach for ground cinnamon in spice rubs, meatballs, batters and toppings where full flavour dispersion matters, and keep the jar tightly sealed in a dark cupboard.
