# Mahleb

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahleb
> Source revision: 1324489101
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{{short description|Spice made from cherry pits}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Mahleb
| image = Prma 002 shp (Prunus mahaleb).jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption = Whole stones; the seeds are inside
| alternate_name = Mahlepi 
| type = Spice
| course = 
| country = 
| region = Middle East
| national_cuisine = 
| creator = <!-- or | creators = -->
| year = 
| mintime = 
| maxtime = 
| served = 
| main_ingredient = Cherry seeds
| minor_ingredient = 
| variations = 
| serving_size = 100 g
| calories = 
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| similar_dish = 
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| other = 
| no_recipes= false
}}
thumb|Packaged mahleb with English, Armenian and Arabic text

'''Mahleb''' or '''mahlepi''' is an aromatic [spice](/source/spice) made from the seeds of a species of cherry, ''[Prunus mahaleb](/source/Prunus_mahaleb)'' (the Mahaleb or St Lucie cherry). The cherry [stone](/source/Pyrena)s are cracked to extract the seed kernel, which is about 5&nbsp;mm in diameter, and soft and chewy on extraction. The seed kernel is ground to a powder before use. Its flavour is similar to a combination of [bitter almond](/source/bitter_almond) and [cherry](/source/cherry),<ref name="Edible">{{Citation |editor-first=Barbara |editor-last=Levitt |date=November 2008 |title=Edible: An Illustrated Guide to the World's Food Plants |publisher=[National Geographic Society](/source/National_Geographic_Society) |isbn=978-1-4262-0372-5 |page=294 |id={{Google books|HORIzBx17DYC|Preview|page=294}}}}</ref> and also similar to [marzipan](/source/marzipan).<ref name="Spiegel">{{cite news |last=Reuter |first=Christoph |title=Mini-Republics: A Syrian Village Seeks to Survive amid Carnage |publisher=Der Spiegel |date=2016-01-13 |url= http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-village-in-syria-seeks-survival-amid-warfare-a-1070742.html |access-date=2016-03-08}}</ref>

Mahleb is used in small quantities to sharpen sweet foods and cakes,<ref name="Spiegel"/> and is used in production of [tresse cheese](/source/tresse_cheese).

It has been used for centuries in the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East) and the surrounding areas as a flavoring for baked goods. Recipes calling for the fruit or seed of the "ḫalub" date back to ancient Sumer.<ref>Gadotti, A. (2014). Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld and the Sumerian Gilgamesh Cycle. De Gruyter. {{ISBN|161451545X}}.</ref> In recent decades, it has been slowly entering mainstream cookbooks in English.<ref>{{Citation |editor-first=Norma |editor-last=MacMillan |date=October 2010 |title=The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients |edition=1st American |publisher=[Dorling Kindersley](/source/Dorling_Kindersley) |isbn=978-0-7566-6730-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K3_LJUK9ywwC&pg=PA354|page=354}}</ref>

In [Greek cuisine](/source/Greek_cuisine), ''mahlep'' is sometimes added to holiday breads and cakes such as ''[Christopsomo](/source/Christopsomo)'' (''[gr: χριστόψωμο](/source/%3Ael%3A%25CE%25A7%25CF%2581%25CE%25B9%25CF%2583%25CF%2584%25CF%258C%25CF%2588%25CF%2589%25CE%25BC%25CE%25BF)'') for Christmas, ''[vasilopita](/source/vasilopita)'' for New Year's Day, and the braided ''[tsoureki](/source/tsoureki)'' for Easter (called ''cheoreg'' in [Armenian](/source/Armenian_cuisine) and ''paskalya çöreği '' in [Turkish](/source/Turkish_cuisine)).<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn = 978-0-19-931362-4| title = The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets| date = 2015-04-01|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XPNgBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT207}}</ref>

In [Turkey](/source/Turkey), it is used in ''[poğaça](/source/po%C4%9Fa%C3%A7a)'' scones and other pastries. In the Arabic Middle East, it is used in ''[ma'amoul](/source/ma'amoul)'' scones. In [Egypt](/source/Egypt), powdered mahlab is made into a paste with honey, sesame seeds and nuts, eaten as a [dessert](/source/dessert) or a snack with bread.

In English, mahleb is sometimes alternately spelled as mahalab, mahlep, mahaleb, and other variations.

==See also==
* [List of cherry dishes](/source/List_of_cherry_dishes)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Herbs & spices}}

Category:Spices
Category:Cherry dishes
Category:Cypriot cuisine
Category:Greek cuisine
Category:Middle Eastern cuisine
Category:Iranian cuisine
Category:Arabic words and phrases
Category:Turkish cuisine

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{{Greece-cuisine-stub}}
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mahleb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahleb) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahleb?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.