Little known in North America, this bitter-sweet spice is extracted from the pit of a wild cherry. It's mainly used ground for turnovers, Middle Eastern cheeses, and especially in desserts, where mahlab adds a delicate cherry and almond flavor.
You'll find mahlab-based recipes in our book, such as fatayers (p.28), sambousaks (p.87) and spice blends for shawarma (p.94) and shish-taouk.