What is Mahleb? Where to use?

Hello Dear Friends,

I've been blogging since 2007 and so far, whenever I've prepared a recipe that has mahaleb in it. What is Mahlep? Where is mahlep used? Where is Mahlep taken from? I get a lot of questions about it. From now on, instead of writing one by one, it will be more practical to answer the questions by sharing a link thanks to the information I have gathered here.

Mahlep is the fruit of the mahaleb tree (also known as the idris tree or wild cherry). The seeds of the ripe fruits of this tree are dried and ground to become the powder we know as mahaleb. I think the kernels are similar to apricot almonds :)

When I went to the herbalist for this article, I saw a kernel of mahaleb for the first time. I took a photo of it in this, I bought it freshly ground as it is difficult to grind at home. By the way, the kilo of mahleb is 200 TL, and the price of those sold as ground is around 145-150. Although these prices may sound too much, even if you buy 15-20 gr, it will last you a long time as we use very, very little amount.

Now let's come to the question "Where do we get mahleb?" You can easily find it from all herbalists in Turkey, you can buy it as ground and packaged in spice aisles of big markets. Also, I can even find it in neighborhood grocery stores.

Mahlep is used to add flavor and crispness to pastries. It goes especially well with cookies, donuts and bagels. While researching, I saw that it is added to halva and pilafs to add flavor, I haven't tried it, but I'm thinking of trying it in pilaf.

Mahlep search here You can access mahlep recipes by clicking here.

Love…