dukkah

noun

duk·​kah ˈdü-kə 

variants or less commonly dukka

: an Egyptian condiment that is typically made of ground nuts, seeds, spices, and herbs and that is used especially as a dip or topping

Traditionally, you put the spiced and pulverized nut mix called dukkah in a bowl next to a bowl of olive oil, and use it for dunking bread (first in the oil, then in the dukkah). But it's also brilliant and surprising as a garnish for cool summer soups and grilled meats and fish.

—Melissa Clark

Add intoxicating flavor to the simplest foods by sprinkling on a global spice blend you make yourself. Our new favorite is dukkah—an aromatic Egyptian mix of hazelnuts and spices.

—Joe Yonan

Slice pitas into triangles, and serve with dukka and olive oil.

—Fiona Kennedy

Examples of dukkah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dish to order: A fresh and flavorful Spring Tabbouleh salad with pea tendrils, mint, pistachio dukkah, and preserved lemon vinaigrette. —Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 June 2024

And for a butcher shop spot, the salads sing, too, like the pretty roasted carrot salad with baba ghanoush and a sprinkle of pistachio dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend) or the roasted beet salad that gets a citrusy kick from citrus, pomegranate and an ‘nduja vinaigrette. —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024

And for a bit of crunch, there’s a cup of duck-ah, a playful take on the crunchy condiment dukkah. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2024

While all the plates are wonderful—the sweet potatoes cloaked in soft cheese and pumpkin seed dukkah, for instance, or the juicy, lavish pork chop schnitzel—more technical dishes like that sausage, along with the stellar setting, add up to a truly memorable meal. —Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023

The spice-and-nut mix dukkah—normally something savory—brings an element of surprise to this delicious dessert and other sweet treats. —Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2023

At Giusto in Newport, owner and chef Kevin O’Donnell is offering a seasonal dish of ricotta ravioli with carrot, hazelnut dukkah, and medjool dates. —Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Oct. 2022

There’s one slathered with roasted carrot spread, tahini, and dukkah, and another that sports sunflower seed butter, tahini, bananas, dates, and a drizzle of honey. —Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 27 June 2023

Kelley’s recipes for zhoug and the Egyptian spice mix dukkah are alone worth the price of the book. —Michelle Huneven, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above