Ka'ak Spice Mix (Daqqet Ka'ak)

Daqqet ka'ak is a ground spice blend used to flavour ka'ak, the traditional cookies and sweet breads baked in Lebanese homes for holidays and family gatherings. Blends of this kind typically combine spices such as anise, fennel and mahlab, and give ka'ak and ma'moul dough their familiar warm, fragrant taste. It is usually mixed into the flour along with the fat and other ingredients before kneading, and a little goes a long way. You can find daqqet ka'ak at Dekenet Al Nes in Baaqline, in the Chouf, a package-free grocery store that started as a solidarity initiative to keep basic goods affordable. Customers are encouraged to bring their own containers to refill, which helps cut plastic waste and single-use packaging.