Zatar, or za’atar, is the Middle Eastern name for a family of herbs that includes oregano, thyme and marjoram. The way I know za’atar, though, is as a spice mixture that starts with those herbs — ground up — and adds toasted sesame seeds and salt. Sometimes, people add ground sumac, too. Mmm… Ever had it?
Growing up, on the days my mom would bake many loaves of pocket bread for the freezer, we’d pull out the za’atar and good olive oil for dipping. Called zeit oo za’atar (meaning “oil with za’atar“), here’s how the dipping goes.
Tear off a piece of bread. Dip it in the olive oil, then dip it in the za’atar. Eat. Repeat.
We often ate bread, olive oil, and za’atar alongside a breakfast of fresh vegetables, fried eggs, and goat cheese. My mom would spread zeit ou za’atar on dough before baking for Middle Eastern pizza called manaqish. Za’atar can also be used with meats, grains, yogurt and veggies for amazing flavor. Oh, the food memories.
My mom has kept me in good supply of za’atar (purchased at Middle Eastern markets), so I haven’t had occasion to make my own yet. I want to make my own when my jar runs out, though. Does anyone have a recipe to share? I’ll be asking my mom if she has any old family formulas.
If you’re wanting to make some za’atar for yourself, here are a few online recipes that look good to me: Za’atar 1, Za’atar 2, Za’atar 3, and Za’atar 4.
When shopping for za’atar, I suggest a Middle Eastern market. However, be careful, as I read the other day that some companies are using ground up pretzels or other fillers in the mixes. Sad.
You’ll be seeing za’atar in tomorrow’s Sourdough eCourse lesson. Whether you plan on using spelt or whole wheat flour, the lesson and one of the videos teaches how to make a beautiful swirl loaf. My loaf, below, includes za’atar, olive oil, olives, feta cheese, and salt. My husband declared it his favorite bread. I love that!
Tomorrow’s lesson also teaches how to make dinner rolls and hamburger buns! For those new to spelt or curious about working with it, I’ll be sharing spelt’s peculiarities and show you how to make winning, light, and delicious bread goods from this wonderful flour.
Did you know? The Sourdough eCourse is open any time! We may have already started, but you can always come along mid-stream. We have a “pay what you can” offer so that no one is held back by financial constraints from learning more. Subscriptions are available any time.
For those who make a qualifying payment, we offer a monthly thank you gift. This month’s gift is an easy recipe for Cinnamon-Raisin Sourdough Bread Bites (which aren’t sour). My whole family and two goat kids make an appearance in this video! It is available until August 30. When you make a payment, you’ll have access to it for a lifetime.
Ready for a hint about next month’s thank you gift video? Here are some keywords: Erin, camping, vacation, and sourdough. Oh, yeah, and FUN!
About Wardeh
For some reason, my last link photo doesn’t show up. Odd....
Take the guesswork out of what to fix, what to buy and what to prepare. This week:
Class materials compiled into easy downloads: 
Twitter: chknetwork
says:
Wardeh, what part of the sumac is used? I assume the berries?
Sylvia Britton recently posted… Announcing … The NEW CHK Network Message Board!
Sylvia, I’m pretty sure it is the berries because ground sumac is dark red and so are the berries.
mmmmm. You are taking me back to warm Florida Saturday mornings on the patio with my taita spreading out all those goodies for us to eat! I’d love to see you tackle more traditional Middle Eastern fare. My taita embraced all things industrial at some point and used things like white rice and Crisco, etc., and looks at me like I’m crazy to want to take the time to do the old-fashioned way! I’ve been converting some of recipes (like her waraq arish) to use whole grains and fresher ingredients, but I’d love to see what you’ve done.
Growing up, our zaatar was spread on Pillsbury crescent rolls. Your version looks a lot better. LOL.
Nicole, my family uses alot of white rice and white flour. I can’t say I’ve seen Crisco, though.
I remake everything I do with whole wheat and brown rice. I should work on more dishes, thank you for the encouragement! I would love to see more of what you’ve done. 
Sounds good! Looking fwd to the class…and the video (reminder to self: make payment!)
Twitter: chknetwork
says:
Thank you Wardeh. I use sumac in the kitchen so its good to know yet another use! I mostly use it for seasoning and for making a citrusy drink..
Sylvia Britton recently posted… Announcing … The NEW CHK Network Message Board!
Mmmm… sumac. Brings back sweet memories of sprinkling it over a big pile of persian rice flavored with melted butter.
Every time you mention I keep meaning to ask – what is your middle eastern background exactly?
My dad is Iranian and my mom is a swedish/danish/german american mix. So I am more Iranian than anything else. We lived there when I was little for a couple of years. I learned the language and my mom learned to cook very authentic persian food. So our diet was a heavy mix of traditional persian food and typical american food. I learned my love of cooking from my mom. Unfortunately I didn’t learn to cook many persian meals, but they are some of my very very favorite foods in the world. Tons of lamb, beef, chicken, fish, vegetables, fruits and lots of white rice. The only thing that really bothers me about the huge pots of rice is that I’ve never seen it made without vegetable oils. So I wonder what they used before vegetables came on the scene.
Tara, thanks for filling me in on your background! I have been wondering as well.
As for me, my mom is German and my dad Palestinian. My mom learned how to cook everything from my dad’s mom (Wardeh — I was named after her) who lived with us for many years. I don’t know the language, like you, except for a few things. I wish I had paid more attention when I was younger to the cooking, rather than just enjoying the food. 
I didn’t see vegetable oils used, only butter and olive oil. Now, the flours were white and the rice was white — that bugs me. I wonder when that shift happened?
Oh how funny! Such similar stories! When we lived there (just before all the troubles in the seventies) we were living with my dad’s mother and extended family. My dad’s family was in the construction business so we often moved around and lived in tents in rural villages. So my mom learned to cook from all those sources. While I did learn farsi when I was there (as young children so easily learn languages) I forgot it all when we came back home.
Sad, I know.
And like you, I was too busy enjoying the food to be bothered with learning to cook it. Plus it was always such a comforting thing to have my mom busy in the kitchen and cooking all that delicious food. I didn’t want to change anything by stepping in and doing it myself. If that makes any sense?
Tara — That makes sense. Why mess with a good thing?
I loved zayt u zatar when I lived in Jordan for a few years. Yummy pastries with olive oil and zatar. I always thought that zatar was oregano. Didn’t know it was the mix. But your pic looks exactly like the pastries I loved. I think it was the same word for the oregano herb that grew in my friend’s garden and she would put fresh sprigs in our hot tea. I also love the middle eastern recipes. Keep them coming. Just made a fresh batch of your mujadareh last week. I think I’ll make it with chicken broth next time like you suggested. Love the nutrition. I eat it before I run! : )
Hi Wardeh,
I thought you might like to know, I did a little post to promote what youa re doing here, on a little linky we are doing about Middle Eastern Recipes on my blog.
http://homeshalom.blogspot.com/2011/02/preparation-day-linky-15.html
You have been a real blessing to me..so I thought I would other folks know that!
Thank you, Pamela! Big {hug} for your kindness!
Hi Wardeh! Ever since I read this post a year ago, I really wanted to try the za’atar, but never did. Well a dear neighbor of ours who is from Jordan, just brought me over some hot, fresh pocket bread, a very generous bowl of amazing olive oil, and, of course
, a nice serving of za’atar! It is amazing! She brought us more za’atar than what we will eat with the bread she brought, so I am going to make your Middle Eastern pizzas with the rest of it. Mmm…can’t wait! 
Mindy recently posted… Cozy Dark Hot Chocolate
Mindy — I’m so happy to hear this! You made my day.
Wardeh,
Just wondering if you made any of the zatar from the links you posted yet? And if so, which you preferred? Also, what form is the sumac,