za'atar question

[gharris]

Is the sumac in za'atar the same as the tree growing in my front yard (eastern Ontario) - i.e. can I take the red fuzzy things off that tree and grind them up with the other ingredients to make my own za'atar??

[sweatersister]

Totally different.
You're talking about Lebanese Zaatar which is red and made with sumac. Everything Lebanese is very very different then the rest of Arabic cuisine - being Palestinian, I enjoy Lebanese cooking, but I prefer traditional Arabic food.

If you want to purchase a good Palestinian version of Zaatar head over to Nassar's where you can buy the proper blend of thyme, thyme, oregano, marjoram, with toasted sesame seeds, and salt.

Get a good olive oil and dip your bread in it with the zaatar.

It's so unbelievably good!

[likescrab]

cool...is Nassar's easy to find? Bet one could make their own. Sounds delish.

[likescrab]

I'm fairly sure sumac the spice is v. different from the tree that grow like a weed all over Tdot, but will check with my chef and report back.

[likescrab]

My chef advises it's not the same. Too bad, it would be cool to have fresh sumac!

[Snarf]

Middle Eastern sumac has a lemony taste, and is probably a different version of the genus.

There are some other uses for some of the North American varieties that are listed in this wiki link. Enjoy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac