Dukkah (Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend)

Cairo's ancient pounded blend of hazelnuts, coriander and cumin: eaten by dipping bread in oil and then pressing it into the fragrant crumble

Origin: Cairo, Egypt

Dukkah (دقة, also dukka or duqqa) is an Egyptian condiment of ground nuts, toasted seeds, and warm spices; eaten in the ancient manner of dipping bread first into good olive oil, then pressing it into the dukkah so the crumble adheres. It is found in Cairo's markets in hundreds of variations, sold loose from sacks; dukkah is as personal as a family's salt blend, every household having its own version. The word derives from the Arabic verb meaning 'to pound', and pounding rather than grinding is essential; the defining feature of authentic dukkah is its rough, chunky, uneven texture, not the uniform powder of a spice grinder. Coriander seeds are the backbone of the blend alongside cumin: they are dry-roasted until fragrant, then pounded in a mortar to a coarse, irregular crumble. Egypt's relationship with coriander runs extraordinarily deep; coriander seeds have been found in Tutankhamun's tomb (c.1332 BCE), and the plant appears repeatedly in Egyptian hieroglyphic records as both a cultivated crop and a ritual offering. Traditional Egyptian dukkah uses hazelnuts, though modern versions across Cairo's markets freely substitute pistachios, blanched almonds, or even peanuts. The eating ritual itself; bread, oil, dukkah; is believed to be one of the oldest surviving food customs in the Mediterranean world.

Ingredients

Nuts

80 g hazelnuts (skin-on) OR pistachios, shelled

Seeds

40 g sesame seeds

Spice

3 tbsp coriander seeds
1.5 tbsp cumin seeds

Seasoning

0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
0.75 tsp flaky sea salt

Herb

1 tsp dried thyme or dried mint, crumbled

To serve

good bread (flatbread, pitta, or crusty sourdough), to serve
extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

Method

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking frequently, for 5–7 minutes until the skins begin to crack and blister and the nuts are golden inside. Tip into a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove as much skin as possible. Allow to cool completely.
In the same pan, toast the coriander seeds over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking constantly, until fragrant and just beginning to colour. Tip immediately into a bowl; they continue to cook in residual heat. Repeat with the cumin seeds (1–2 minutes), and then the sesame seeds (2–3 minutes, watching carefully as they brown fast).
Place the cooled hazelnuts in a mortar. Pound with a pestle until roughly broken; some pieces as large as a split pea, some finer. Do not reduce to a paste or powder. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the toasted coriander and cumin seeds to the mortar. Pound to break them into a rough, uneven crumble; again, not a powder. Some whole seeds remaining is desirable.
Add the sesame seeds and pound briefly; just enough to bruise them slightly, not to crush them. Combine with the hazelnuts.
Mix in the black pepper, salt, and dried thyme or mint. Taste: the dukkah should be nutty, warm, slightly salty, fragrant with coriander, and have real textural variety; crunch, roughness, and some fine spice dust all at once.
To eat: pour good olive oil into a shallow dish. Tear bread and dip into the oil, then press into the dukkah. Eat immediately; do not stir the dukkah into the oil.

Notes

Store dukkah in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to three weeks. Beyond that it will still be safe to eat but the volatile oils in the coriander and cumin begin to fade. Do not refrigerate; moisture ruins the texture. Dukkah has expanded far beyond its bread-dipping origins: it is excellent scattered over hummus, pressed onto the outside of a lamb rack before roasting, stirred through labneh, or used as a crust for pan-fried white fish. The Cairo market variation using peanuts and dried chilli is a more fiery, affordable street version worth trying.

The Gastrographer

Name: Dukkah (Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Egypt
Ingredients: 80 g hazelnuts (skin-on) OR pistachios, shelled; 40 g sesame seeds; 3 tbsp coriander seeds; 1.5 tbsp cumin seeds; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 0.75 tsp flaky sea salt; 1 tsp dried thyme or dried mint, crumbled; good bread (flatbread, pitta, or crusty sourdough), to serve; extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control