Spices/Pantry Items Essential to the Egyptian Kitchen
Spices
Allspice – Is a very aromatic and pungent spice, flavors of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon with a peppery overtone. If you've never cooked with Allspice, start out with small quantities as it can quickly take over your dish. 
Cardamom pods/seeds (Green) - Has an intense, aromatic flavor, mainly used in meat and chicken dishes. My mom says it also takes away the gamey scent in chicken, we always use this in chicken soup
Cinnamon - Our dishes are very aromatic so Cinnamon is often used, just for a hint of flavor not to overpower a dish.
Coriander (powder) – Coriander has a nice nutty distinctive flavor and has a very pungent scent. Coriander is the
Cilantro seeds.
Cumin powder – Has a very distinct, rich flavor. Used in many, many dishes, from salad dressing to stews. We go through a lot of this stuff! "Taaliah" is a method you will see in many dishes here, its oil/margarine, cumin, and garlic fried quickly till pink and aromatic, and then added to other dishes. There is no mistaking the scent of this mixture.
Mastic/Mastica – A slightly aromatic resin from the mastic tree, we use this in meat and chicken dishes and all soup
stocks.
Sumac – Has a sour, lemony flavor made of a dried berry which is ground and has a reddish color. This is a spice I’m not keen on so we rarely use it but, give it a try on vegetables, chicken dishes and in kebab.
Pantry/Fridge Items
Burgal- Cracked Wheat
Cilantro & Flat Leaf Parsley- both used quite often in many dishes
Ghee (Unclarified butter) has a very nutty and distinct flavor and aroma Used in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. Easily found in Arabic and Indian Markets.
More stuff to come!
