Aleppo Pepper
Aleppo pepper is a mild-to-moderate, fruity Syrian chile flake named for the city of Aleppo, prized in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking for its tangy, slightly sweet heat.
How to buy
Look for flakes with a deep brick-red color and a slightly oily feel -- traditionally mixed with a touch of salt and oil to preserve color and aroma -- and avoid dull, dried-out flakes with little smell, which signal age. It's milder than most crushed red pepper, so don't substitute it one-to-one for a very hot chile flake and expect the same heat.
How to store
Keep in an airtight container away from light and heat; because it's often lightly oiled, it benefits from cooler storage, and refrigeration can extend its vivid color and aroma over longer stretches.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Fruity, tangy, and mildly smoky with a gentle, building heat -- much milder than cayenne-based flakes -- and a flavor some compare to a cross between sun-dried tomato and mild chile.
- Texture
- Coarse, slightly oily flakes that cling to food rather than falling off like drier chile flakes, giving dishes flecks of color and texture.
- Aroma
- A tangy, slightly fruity, and faintly smoky aroma, more complex and less sharply hot-smelling than standard red pepper flakes.
How to prepare
- Finishing sprinkle — Scattered over finished dishes for color, mild heat, and tang.
- Bloomed in oil — Warmed briefly in olive oil to make a flavored drizzle.
- Mixed into spice blends — Combined with sumac, za'atar, or other Middle Eastern spices.
- Stirred into dips and spreads — Blended into hummus or muhammara for color and gentle heat.
Classic dishes
Mediterranean
- Grilled halloumi with Aleppo pepper — Seared cheese finished with a spicy, fruity sprinkle.
- Spiced olive oil for flatbread — A common table condiment pairing Aleppo pepper with good olive oil.
Middle Eastern
- Muhammara — A walnut and red pepper dip seasoned with Aleppo pepper.
- Shakshuka — Eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce finished with Aleppo pepper.
- Hummus with Aleppo pepper oil — A chickpea dip finished with a spiced oil drizzle.
- Lahmacun — A Turkish flatbread topped with spiced ground meat seasoned with Aleppo pepper.
- Kibbeh — A bulgur and meat dish seasoned in part with Aleppo pepper.
- Fattoush — A bread salad sometimes finished with a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper.
- Grilled kofta — Spiced ground meat skewers seasoned with Aleppo pepper.
- Aleppo pepper roasted chickpeas — Crispy roasted chickpeas tossed with the spice for a snack.
- Labneh with Aleppo pepper oil — Strained yogurt drizzled with spiced oil.
- Çılbır (Turkish poached eggs) — Poached eggs over yogurt finished with Aleppo-spiced butter.
- Manakish — A flatbread sometimes topped with a spice blend that includes Aleppo pepper.
- Red lentil soup — Finished with a drizzle of Aleppo-pepper-infused oil.
- Baba ganoush with Aleppo pepper — Roasted eggplant dip finished with the spice for color and heat.