Qizha
A bitter black seed paste from Palestinian cuisine.
Qizha (Arabic: قزحة, qizḥa, pronounced ʼezḥa in Palestine) is a black paste in Palestinian cooking, made by crushing nigella seeds. It tastes sharp and bitter, with a faint hint of sweetness. The paste can be combined with other condiments like tahini, or baked into pies, breads, and pastries.
The word "qizha" can refer either to this paste or to the nigella plant itself. It is sometimes called "black tahini," but this name also applies to a different paste made from black sesame.
To produce qizha, seeds of *Nigella sativa* (a buttercup-family plant native to the Middle East and India, also known as "black cumin") are soaked in salt water overnight, oven-roasted, left on rocks to dry in the sun, and then ground into a paste. Some sources consider Nablus and Jenin to produce the best-quality qizha. According to Roads & Kingdoms, tahini factories in Nablus have been making it since at least the 1910s.
Qizha has limited popularity, largely due to its bitter taste and pitch-black appearance, which is often compared to engine oil. It is sometimes described as unique to Palestinian cuisine. Outside of Nablus, qizha and qizha pie are also traditionally made in Sidon, Lebanon, likely popularized there by immigrants from Nablus.
In cooking, qizha paste is used in sweets and pastries such as halwa, or mixed with syrup and eaten as a spread like tahini. It is also used to make qizha pie, a savory or semi-savory pie made with qizha paste. In traditional medicine, some elderly people consume a spoonful of qizha as a remedy for various ailments.
- type
- Food paste
- origin
- Palestinian cuisine
- main ingredient
- Nigella sativa seeds
- taste
- Sharp, bitter with slight sweetness
- also known as
- Black tahini (not to be confused with black sesame tahini)
- associated cities
- Nablus and Jenin
Lore & Background
The word Qizha can refer to the paste made from nigella seeds, or to the nigella plant itself. The paste is also referred to as black tahini, not to be confused with the 'black tahini' made from black sesame, which is referred to with that same name. Qizha is made from the seeds of Nigella sativa of the buttercup family of plants, which is native to the Middle East and India. The seeds, sometimes known as 'black cumin', are soaked in salt water for a night, oven roasted, left on rocks to dry in the sun, and finally ground to make a paste. Some sources consider the cities of Nablus and Jenin to be the source of the best-quality qizha. According to Roads & Kingdoms, tahini factories in Nablus have been making qizha since at least the 1910s.
Reader's Guide
The popularity of Qizha is limited, attributed to its bitter taste and pitch black appearance; its appearance is often likened to 'engine oil'. It is sometimes described as 'unique' to Palestinian cuisine. Outside of Nablus, qizha and qizha pie are also traditionally made in Sidon, Lebanon, and it is believed to have been popularized there through immigration from Nablus. Qizha paste is used in creating sweets and pastries, like halwa, and may also be mixed with syrup and eaten as a spread like tahini. It is also used to create a qizha pie, which is a semolina cake topped with sugar syrup and nuts, a variation of basbousa. A spoonful of Qizha is sometimes consumed by the elderly as a traditional remedy for a variety of ailments.
Did You Know?
- Qizha is made from crushed nigella seeds, also known as black cumin.
- The paste is sometimes called 'black tahini', but is distinct from black sesame tahini.
- Tahini factories in Nablus have been making qizha since at least the 1910s.
- Qizha pie is typically a savory or semi-savory pie made with qizha paste, not a sweet semolina cake.
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