Ducca - Spice Blend

Ducca by Altes Gewürzamt, nutty and granular

Ducca by Altes Gewürzamt is an Egyptian seed blend of roasted sesame, chickpeas, coriander, and cumin, rounded off with mint and thyme. It is perfect for dipping bread into olive oil, sprinkling over fried fish, or seasoning oven-roasted vegetables.

Ducca, also spelled Dukkah, is the granular spice blend from Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main. Seven salt-free ingredients create a seasoning that crumbles rather than sprinkles, and is a staple on every breakfast table in Egypt.

Sesame and chickpeas, left coarse

White sesame seeds come first, followed by roasted chickpeas, with both left coarse instead of finely ground.

This is why Ducca doesn't flow like a powder, but remains crumbly, sitting on top of whatever you sprinkle it over. Coriander and cumin provide an earthy warmth underneath, black pepper adds a finishing touch, and mint and thyme are listed last, meaning they are used sparingly as a subtle green trace over the nuttiness.

Chickpeas are often known as the silent helper that keeps spice powders flowing without anti-caking agents. Here, they have a second role, because when roasted, they taste nutty themselves and give Ducca its firm, floury core beneath the sesame coating.

Two small bowls, one with oil

In Egypt, two small bowls sit side-by-side on the table: one with olive oil and one with Ducca.

Flatbread is dipped first into one, then the other, and this is exactly why the coarse pieces are needed—so they stick in the oil. A fine powder would simply sink to the bottom of the bowl. At home, this works just as well with warm bread and a good sesame or olive oil.

It also works well as a breading for cheese or meat. Roll goat cheese, boiled eggs, or chicken strips in it, or sprinkle it over roasted carrots and cauliflower from the oven. Sprinkled over a dish at the end, the granular texture remains intact, and because there is no salt in the ingredient list, you season the dish yourself, not just the spice blend.

The name comes from pounding

Ducca comes from an Arabic word for pounding, as everything is traditionally placed in a mortar.

There is a solid reason for this based on kitchen physics. The finer you grind sesame, the more oil is released from the seed, turning loose crumbs into a sticky paste. Pounded coarsely, the mixture remains crunchy; the same rule applies to the chickpeas, which shatter in the mortar instead of turning to flour.

Fish fillets like sea bream and monkfish carry this texture particularly well, as do light meats like veal and poultry. On oven-roasted pumpkin and cabbage, the mixture almost becomes a small meal in itself, and it’s delicious enough to snack on straight from the spoon.

For guests, a shallow dish placed in the center of the table is sufficient. Add warm flatbread, a good oil, a few olives, and perhaps some yogurt with lemon, and you have an appetizer for which no one has to stay in the kitchen. Altes Gewürzamt designed this blend specifically for that purpose—granular enough for dipping and mild enough for every guest.

Roasted and blended in Klingenberg am Main

Sesame and chickpeas are roasted separately, as the tiny seeds brown in two minutes, while the chickpeas take significantly longer. This is exactly the kind of craftsmanship performed by Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main, without the use of artificial colors or flavorings.

If you enjoy the cumin in this blend, you can grind your own whole cumin seeds. Further seasonings from the Orient can be found in our Cuisines of the World collection and the rest of the Altes Gewürzamt range.