Product knowledge
What is Lebanese seven spice (sabaa baharat)?
Lebanese seven spice — sabaa baharat in Arabic, sometimes shortened to just "baharat" — is a warm, all-purpose blend typically built from around seven ground spices: usually some combination of black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander and fenugreek or ginger. It's used across Levantine cooking to season meats, rice and stews, and to give kibbeh its characteristic warmth. The exact seven shift by household and region, so it's better understood as a warm-spice family than a single fixed recipe.
It sits in the same category of thinking as garam masala or Chinese five-spice: a named, traditional combination of warm (not hot) spices, rather than one specific chili-forward seasoning.
What's typically in the blend
No two households or spice mills use identical proportions, but the recurring components are:
- Black pepper: the base warmth and bite.
- Allspice: rounds the blend with a sweet-warm, almost clove-like depth.
- Cinnamon: adds sweetness and body.
- Cloves: a small amount goes a long way toward the blend's warmth.
- Nutmeg: a subtle sweet-savory note.
- Coriander and/or fenugreek or ginger: rounds out the remaining one or two spices, depending on the recipe.
How the blend varies across the Levant
Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian versions of seven spice all draw from the same warm-spice palette but weight it differently — some lean more cinnamon-forward and sweet, others push black pepper and clove for more bite. As with za'atar's regional variation, treat any single recipe description as a common pattern rather than a fixed standard every mill follows.
Some versions also fold in ground nutmeg and a touch of ground ginger for extra warmth, while others keep the list tighter around pepper, allspice and cinnamon. None of these variations is more "correct" than another — they reflect the same kind of household and regional drift seen across most traditional Levantine spice blends.
How it's used in the kitchen
Seven spice is a workhorse seasoning for ground and cubed meat (especially in kibbeh and kafta), rice pilafs, and slow-cooked stews. A small amount goes into the mix early in cooking so the warm spices have time to bloom, though it's also used as a finishing seasoning in some dishes.
It's distinct from the chili-forward shawarma spice blends used in many GTA restaurants, even though both fall under the broader "Middle Eastern spice blend" umbrella customers might lump together. Seven spice brings warmth and sweetness from cinnamon, allspice and clove; shawarma seasoning typically layers in paprika, cumin and often chili for a different, more savory-forward profile. A kitchen running both a shawarma program and a kibbeh or rice-forward menu benefits from stocking the individual warm spices separately, since the two blends draw on overlapping but not identical ingredients.
Sourcing seven spice through Levant Direct
A pre-blended seven spice jar isn't currently a standing line in our catalogue — it's sourced on request through our supplier houses. What we do stock directly, in our spices category, are the individual warm spices that build the blend: ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground clove, ground nutmeg, ground coriander and ground fenugreek — a practical route for a kitchen that wants to build and adjust its own seven-spice ratio in house. See should a kitchen buy whole or ground spices? for how to think about that decision.
Related questions
Is seven spice the same thing as baharat?
Yes — "baharat" is the general Arabic word for spice blend, and "seven spice" (sabaa baharat) is the specific Levantine warm-spice version most commonly meant by the term.
Is seven spice hot or spicy?
No — it's warm-spiced (pepper, cinnamon, clove, allspice) rather than chili-hot. There's typically no chili pepper in a traditional seven spice mix.
Can a kitchen build its own seven spice from individual spices?
Yes, and many professional kitchens do exactly that — it lets you adjust the ratio to your own dishes and keep the individual spices for other uses too.
Is seven spice the same as shawarma spice, and how much should I use in a dish?
They're related but distinct blends — seven spice is warm and sweet-leaning (cinnamon, allspice, clove), while shawarma seasoning is typically more savory, often including paprika, cumin and sometimes chili. For seven spice specifically, start light — a teaspoon or two per pound of meat is a common starting point, since the blend is concentrated and meant to season, not dominate.