Za'atar

Za'atar, named after the traditional main ingredient, Syrian marjoram, is a spice blend made from green herbs, sumac, and sesame seeds. The original blend is said to have been merely a combination of Syrian oregano ( Origanum syriacum) sesame seeds and salt.

This mixture will soon be discontinued from our range!

The word za'atar is not only the name of the mixture, but also of a group of herbs: savory, wild basil-thyme, thyme, and the herbs of the oregano genus, including marjoram and oregano. It is therefore not surprising that many za'atars nowadays contain oregano, thyme and common marjoram, all three after all za'atars.

In the Middle Ages, za'atar (with sumac) was used as a medicine, as was the case with many herbs, spices, and mixtures. It was used, for example, for colds.

Za'atar is often given its own unique signature and is therefore available on the market in every conceivable variation. 'Green za'atar' comes closest to the original recipe, but usually too little sesame seed is added to it, leaving the flavor somewhat bland; the ratio of herbs to sesame should be approximately 4:1. Sumac is added to 'red' za'atar, just as in medieval medicine. Our za'atar is of this latter type, but contains no salt. The advantage of this is that adding za'atar does not affect the salt content of the dish, which you can season with salt to your liking.

Za'atar, like bahārāt, is a widespread Arabic spice blend used as a rub or marinade (dressed with olive oil) for preparing beef, lamb, chicken, or fish, or as a topping over hummus, yogurt, labneh, or baba ganoush! It is also delicious over fried potatoes. Remember that the green herbs should not be hard, like rosemary, and can burn if you fry them along with the potatoes (see the tip below).

Scent and taste

Za'atar is very fragrant. Because the sesame seeds are already roasted, you can prepare it as a 'raw' topping. To bring out the aromas of za'atar even better, you can warm the za'atar in some butter (do not roast or fry!).

Features:

• modified recipe: thyme, black cumin (Bunium persicum), coriander, SESAME-seeds, sumac (Rhus coriaria), Aleppo chili and Greek oregano
  
• contains no Salt, add as needed!
• origin: Middle East, Persian cuisine (Iran)
• produced in the United Kingdom

Assortment

• available in glass jars (45 grams) and stand-up pouches (250 grams)
• Larger quantities on request

Save

• batch number **SU620440
• best before April 2028 (04-2028)