Dating back to 35 BC, Hourani seeds were stored in the Fertile Crescent’s Masada Fortress by King Herod to be cultivated on the volcanic Houran Plateau of Syria and Jordan. In the 1920s, botanist Nikolay Vavilov collected Hourani seeds and brought them to the Leningrad seed bank in Russia. This drought-resistant durum landrace has large hard kernels that are perfect for semolina and flatbreads. Bakers describe the flavor as hints of golden raisins and ripe apricots.