DUKKAH

 This is a dearly loved and old Egyptian speciality. It is a loose

mixture of nuts and spices in a dry, crushed but not powdered form,

usually eaten with bread dipped in olive oil. In Egypt it is served at

breakfast time, as an appetizer, or as a snack in the evening. It is a

very personal and individual mixture which varies from one family

to another.

• 500 g (1 lb) sesame seeds
• 250 g (8 oz) coriander seeds
• 120 g (4 oz) hazelnuts
• 120 g (4 oz) ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste – try 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper 

Roast or grill the ingredients separately. Pound them together until

they are finely crushed but not pulverized. The crushing can be

done in a mincer or an electric blender. In the last case run it for a

very short time only, as otherwise the oil from the too finely ground

seeds and nuts will form a paste with the pulverized ingredients.

Dukkah should always be a crushed dry mixture, and definitely not a

paste.

The quantities above make a good deal of dukkah, but it can be

stored for many weeks in covered jars.

Another very humble preparation, a mixture of dried crushed

mint, salt and pepper, is sold in the streets in little paper cornets as

dukkah to sprinkle over bread.