Steenbergs Mahlab is a relatively rare spice that is popular in the Middle East and is sometimes known as St. Lucie's Cherry. Mahlab comes from grinding the beige kernels from inside a sour cherry tree that grows wild in the Middle East - the cherries are small, measly looking things with a positively mean amount of black fruity flesh, but the kernels have a sweetly perfumed and floral aroma that is reminiscent of cherries and the nuttiness of almonds. The flavour of Steenbergs Mahlab is nutty with a delicate almondy sweetness and then with a bitterness that you also expect from almonds. Mahlab spice is an essential to Lebanese food and we import ours this straight from the Lebanon. Steenbergs mahlab is part of the Steenbergs range of specialist spices.