Duqqa

Duqqa

Origin
Place of origin	Egypt
Details
Course	Side dish or hors d'œuvre
Type	Dip
Main ingredient(s)	Herbs, nuts (probably hazelnut), spices

for the Buddhist concept see Dukkha, for the exterior seat see Dakkah

Duqqa (also spelled dukkah or dukka) is an Egyptian side dish consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts, usually hazelnut, and spices. It is typically used as a dip with bread or fresh vegetables, and eaten as an hors d'œuvre. Pre-made versions of duqqa can be bought in the spice markets of Cairo, with the simplest version being crushed mint, salt and pepper which are sold in paper cones. The packaged variety is found in markets that is composed of parched wheat flour mixed with cumin and caraway.

The word is derived from the Arabic for "to pound" since the mixture of spices and nuts are pounded together after being dry roasted to a texture that is neither powdered nor paste-like. The actual composition of the spice mix can vary from family to family, vendor to vendor though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Reference to a 19th century text lists marjoram, mint, zataar and chickpeas as further ingredients that can be used in the mixture. A report from 1978^{[citation needed]} indicates that even further ingredients can be used, such as nigella, millet flour and dried cheese.

Dukah is now becoming popular in some countries outside of Egypt. In Australia several companies now make it in a variety of flavours. It has become popular in the past ten years, probably due to recent Lebanese and Arabic immigration as well as television cooking shows such as SBS Food. It can be found in supermarkets, specialty stores and many farmers' markets.

See also

• List of African dishes

References

Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999), "Duqqa", p. 260 ISBN 0-19-211579-0 Sortun, Ana. "Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean" ISBN 978-0-06-079228-2, ISBN 0-06-079228-0

External links

• A recipe for dukka containing pistachios, cashews, and coconut.
• A recipe from epicurious.com
• A recipe for dukka featured on the Australian ABC television programme "The Cook and the Chef."