There seem to be as many recipes for Middle Eastern spice mixtures as there are people in the middle east who cook, and as many spellings as there are variations. I grew up eating food made with B'har, the internet lists bahar as the most common spelling that I can find, baharat is the Arabic word for spice, and berbere (the Ethiopian version) seems to have about the same ingredients.
My mother spent years cooking with b'har that she would purchase in bulk when she found it, not realizing that spices lose their flavor when stored for long periods of time. Recently she got back in touch with an Arabic friend (who used to look after us when we lived in Israel) and discovered that the friend makes her own. She is currently working on getting that recipe and it will be posted here once I have it from her.
This recipe is technically a berber that I used in my Moroccan stew recipe.
Berber Spice Mixture
2 Tbsp cumin seed or 1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp fennel seed
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 Tbsp whole allspice berries
3 whole cloves
1/2 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp grated ginger
Pinch saffron
2 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric
Grind with mortar and pestle or in spice grinder.
If you don't have either of the above you can just put it into the stew the way it is. I prefer the ground up option.
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