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