When it comes to cooking, there’s no such thing as a universally uplifting ingredient. Or is there? A savoury mix of nuts, seeds and spices that works as well on caramel corn as it does in a vegetarian burger, Dukkah Zambonelli adds a zesty, herbaceous lift to almost any food you can think of.
Owned and operated by Julie Zambonelli, Dukkah Zambonelli was founded in 2019. The company represents a new path for Zambonelli, a fine arts major who parlayed her eye for design and passion for food into a successful career as a food stylist. During a trip to Australia to visit family, Zambonelli noticed that dukkah “was everywhere.” A happy-hour secret weapon, the versatile mixture is commonly served with olive oil and bread. It’s an appetizer that’s as easy to pull off as chips and dips, yet is infinitely more sophisticated. Despite its prevalence on Aussie supermarket shelves, Zambonelli returned home to find a dearth of dukkah in Toronto. It was then that the idea to bring the crunchy, fragrant Middle Eastern condiment to Toronto took hold. “I couldn’t find it anywhere,” she says, “so I started making it myself.”
Learning by trial and error, adding pinches of this, then dashes of that, Zambonelli created her first product — Hazelnut Dukkah. Made from roasted hazelnuts, a host of seeds and green peppercorns, the savoury seasoning adds depth and intrigue to a variety of dishes. “Dukkah sort of elevates things. It takes the ordinary to the extraordinary,” explains Zambonelli. “You make something simple and add dukkah, and it takes it to another level. It’s also so simple to do.”
Added during cooking, as in a lentil or lamb burger, or to finish a dish, such as hummus, salad or soup, dukkah adds complexity and excitement to every bite. “It’s not homogenous, so not every mouthful is the same,” explains Zambonelli. One bite might hit you with cumin and coriander, whereas the next pops with the pungency of peppercorns.
Following her first creation, Zambonelli added Pistachio Dukkah and Almond Sumac Dukkah to her product line. Inspired by Christmas, the pistachio blend features pink peppercorns to offset the richness of toasted pistachios. “Tangy and citrusy,” according to Zambonelli, the third mix is also floral, and sweet thanks to white sesame seeds and its namesake nut. “Innately, I have a good sense of flavours and combinations. So I just played around with what I thought would be good,” she explains.
Available on the Zambonelli Foods website, Dukkah Zambonelli is also available at Sanagan’s Meat Locker, Hooked, Scheffler’s Deli, McEwan Fine Foods and several other local food shops. The spice blends are also included in some Gift of Goodness boxes available from Canadian Women in Food.
As delicious on fish as it is in a grilled cheese, Dukkah Zambonelli takes dishes from drab to fab with nothing more than a flick of the wrist. Buy one or a gift set with all three flavours and put the recipes on the Zambonelli Foods website to the test. Or, keep a jar handy, and let your imagination run wild.
With plans for a sweeter, breakfast dukkah mix — made with coconut and cashews — plus a line of caramel popcorn called Dukkah Pop in the works, Dukkah Zambonelli is poised for a boon in business. Grab a jar and, before you know it, you’ll be elevating everything from simple meals and snacks to tried-and-true recipes with a palate-pleasing jolt of flavour. As Zambonelli assures, “there might be a couple of others on the market but, I have to admit, mine is still the best.”
