Za'atar
ZAH-tar
Herbal, tart, nutty, savory.
What it is
Za'atar is both a wild Levantine herb and the popular blend named after it, which combines that herb (or a mix of thyme and oregano) with tart sumac, toasted sesame seeds, and salt. The result is herbal, tangy, and nutty all at once, one of the defining flavors of Levantine cooking. It is most famous mixed with olive oil and baked onto flatbread, but it also tops hummus, labneh, eggs, and roasted vegetables. Recipes vary by family and region, and the balance of herb, sumac, and sesame is a matter of taste.
What it pairs with
Goes wrong with: sweet dishes.
Common in Middle Eastern cooking.
Whole vs ground
Za'atar is a mixed dry blend, part ground and part whole sesame seed. It is used as is, sprinkled on or stirred into oil, not cooked down.
How to handle it
Mix with olive oil into a paste for flatbread, or scatter dry over hummus, labneh, eggs, and roasted vegetables as a finishing seasoning.
Storage
Airtight and dark. The sesame can go stale, so buy small and use within a few months.
Buying note
Good za'atar is green and fragrant, not brown and dusty. Some cheap blends are bulked out with too much salt or wheat.
What's in it
Classic dishes
man'oushe flatbread, za'atar chicken, labneh, fattoush.
Out of za'atar? Substitutes
No substitute is exact. These are the closest by flavor behavior, with the ratio to start from and how the result will differ.
| Use instead | Ratio | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| thyme or oregano with sumac and toasted sesame | to taste | make it yourself; the ratios are flexible |
One odd thing
Za'atar names both a wild herb and the blend built around it, so a recipe calling for za'atar can mean either one.