Baharat, Khalta Hara & Za'atar

This trio of blends includes two blends made in partnership with Chef Reem Assil, and our spectacular origin blend Za'atar from Palestine. We've been friends with Chef Reem since we started our respective businesses a few months apart, over five years ago. She run's Reem's, a nationally acclaimed Arab bakery and restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was even named one of the Food & Wine Restaurants of the Year in 2018.

Our companies are both activist enterprises, where the commercial aspects are in service of more ambitious goals of building a new kind of business rooted in community, equity and transparency, locally and globally.

The food that Chef Reem, Chef Zaynah and the rest of the team create is exceptional. It's creative, culturally relevant and deeply delicious, drawing from family backgrounds and Levantine cooking traditions, the best California produce and (of course) beautiful spices.

Read more about each of the blends below:

Baharat (Seven Spice Blend) | بهارات

"Baharat, which literally means spices in Arabic, is a blend that varies across the Arab world in both combination and number of spices. In the Levant, the most common is a 7-spice blend that relies on warming spices tempered by woody and herbal notes from cumin and coriander. Every family has their own variation and of course seldom have a recipe, but it is a foundational spice that lends itself to the stews, meats and rice dishes that give the cuisine its unique taste." - Chef Reem

• Ingredients: Allspice, Wild Mountain Cumin, Nile Coriander, Cloud Forest Cardamom, Royal Cinnamon, Pemba Cloves, Stone Nutmeg
  
• Tasting notes: Rich • Floral • Earthy
• Recipe Baharat Roasted Cauliflower, Savory Bread Pudding with Short Ribs and Chickpeas

Khalta Hara (Chili Spice Blend) | خلطة حارة

"This Khalta Hara is inspired by our iconic house chili spice blend that is flavorful and not overbearingly spicy. It's great as a meat rub, a garnish on dips, and seasoning for roasted vegetables and sauces. The sweetness of the Silk Chili is grounded in the earthiness of cardamom and coriander and accented by the brightness of Black Lime." - Chef Reem

• Ingredients: Silk Chili, Wild Mountain Cumin, Black Lime, Nile Coriander, Cloud Forest Cardamom, Royal Cinnamon, salt
  
• Tasting notes: Fruity • Aromatic • Slightly Spicy 
• Recipe: Mukassarat Spiced Nuts, Muhammara Roasted Red Pepper-Walnut Spread, Savory Bread Pudding with Short Ribs and Chickpeas

Za'atar (Burlap & Barrel Origin Blend)

Our spectacular za'atar is blended at origin in Palestine with locally grown herbs, sesame seeds and sumac. Za'atar is a blend named after its key ingredient, a Levantine species of oregano that flourishes in the region's characteristic arid conditions, and it also includes sesame seeds, sumac and other ingredients, depending on who's making it. Good za'atar tastes savory, deeply herbal, piney, nutty, tart and peppery. 

• Ingredients: Za'atar (Origanum syriacum), toasted sesame seeds, sumac, salt, citric acid
• Tasting notes: Mountain Herbs • Toasted Sesame • Tradition