Mahleb

The mahaleb cherry is a deciduous shrub or small tree up to about 10 metres, with rounded glossy leaves and clusters of fragrant white spring flowers. It produces small, round, dark red to black cherries that are bitter and not much eaten fresh. The spice is the kernel found inside the hard pit: small, pale, oval seeds around the size of a lentil that are tan to brown on the surface. Whole kernels are sold dried and are normally ground just before use, because the powder loses its fragrance quickly. The flavour combines almond, cherry and a faint floral note, with a slightly bitter finish.

Prunus mahaleb grows wild across central and southern Europe, the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and western and central Asia, and it is naturalised in parts of North America. The common name comes from the Arabic word mahlab, a term that reached English by way of medieval trade in spices and was adopted into Turkish, Greek and Armenian. The tree has never been domesticated as a fruit crop in the usual sense. It is mainly gathered from wild or semi-wild stands, though it has also been planted widely as a hardy rootstock for cultivated cherries and as an ornamental.

Mahleb has been part of the cooking of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East for many centuries. It is closely tied to festive baking: in Greek tradition it flavours tsoureki, the braided Easter bread, and in Turkish, Armenian, Lebanese and Syrian kitchens it appears in sweet breads, ring-shaped biscuits and cheese pastries. In the Levant it also flavours ma'amoul-style cookies and festive breads eaten around religious holidays.

Because the tree is wild and the kernel has to be cracked out of a hard stone by hand, the spice has always been somewhat labour intensive, and it has traditionally been bought from specialist spice sellers and bazaars rather than from large producers. Turkey and Syria have been important sources, and the spice travelled with migrant communities, so it can now be found in Middle Eastern grocers in Europe and North America. Cooks outside the region often substitute a drop of almond extract with a little cherry flavour, though many say it does not replicate the aroma of freshly ground mahleb.

Ground mahleb is added in small quantities to sweet yeast breads, Easter breads, biscuits, cheese-filled pastries and some cakes. It is used in Turkish and Armenian breads such as choreg, in Greek tsoureki, and in many Levantine sweets and cookies. A pinch can also season savoury cheese pastries and some pickles or spice mixes. Traditionally the kernels have been used in folk remedies for digestion, and the aromatic wood of the tree has been used to make pipe stems and walking sticks. In baking the powder is usually mixed into the flour or dough so the flavour disperses evenly.

Mahleb is used in tiny culinary amounts, so it makes no meaningful contribution to nutrition. Traditional medicine in the Middle East has used the kernels and bark for digestive complaints and as a mild diuretic, but there are few modern human studies and no firm evidence to support medicinal claims. Laboratory work has found aromatic compounds, including coumarin, in the kernels. As with most spices, enjoying it as a flavouring is considered safe for healthy people.