Would the real za'atar please stand up?

[bonbon35]

Za'atar seems to mean many things...After scouring the city and finding it soldout most everywhere (I'm assuming other Vancouverites are on the Jerusalem craze as well), I finally bought a packet of za'atar, which is mainly thyme with a few other herbs like sumac and sesame. It tastes like regular thyme/oregano and seems quite unlike Yotam O.'s description as being pungent and sharp not out of place with the middle eastern smells of fire, sweat and goat's dung. I am wondering if Israeli za'atar is made from hyssop rather than thyme and this may account for the difference? Has anyone noticed a difference in types of za'atar or can explain what is the pungent type that is described in Jerusalem?

Bizarrely, I was excited to try the taste of flaming, sweaty dung...

Many thanks in advance!

[antimony]

I find sumac to be a fairly sharp flavor -- in a good way -- maybe it's just a difference in perception?

[JungMann]

Sumac is definitely a sour flavor, though we might perceive how sharp its edges are differently. Another thread dealt with this topic at some length.
http://www.chow.com/food-news/138222/...

[BuildingMyBento]

I buy it every now and then at Parrot Coffee in Sunnyside, Queens (NYC). The store sells a blend of Eastern European/Levant/Southwest Asian foodstuffs, but the za'atar seems to consistently contain sesame seeds, thyme and oregano, among other ingredients.

BuildingMyBento
http://collaterallettuce.com/

[VitalForce]

Za'atar does seem to be very regional in its varieties. While the Jerusalem book is getting all the press and awards, I think a far more interesting Middle-Eastern cookbook from the past year is Salma Hage's "The Lebanese Kitchen," just in terms of recipes.

For a delicious use of za'atar from neither of these books: heat up a naan, mix za'atar with virgin olive oil, perhaps some sumac and salt into a loose paste, then scrape it over the heated naan. Maybe include a fried egg, some cheese, etc. While not traditional, or even regional, the na'an is much tastier than a conventional pita in this instance, and without a need to bake the bread from scratch.

[Harters]

Even better than the naan idea, take a khobez (or any other eastern Med. flatbread) and top it with the oil/za'atar mix. Then put it in a hot oven for a minute. It crisps up beautifully. I always think of it as Palestinian pizza.

[cresyd]

My favorite is to take the za'atar Palestinian pizza and dip it in labne.

[JungMann]

Now we're approaching my typical breakfast. Half a pita toasted til crisp but not brown. Spread with labneh, sprinkle with za'atar, top with makdous. Hits all the major food groups before 9 o'clock. No labneh in the fridge this morning so I used lentil hummus instead.

[VitalForce]

These various approaches all sound good. The makdous topping sounds a bit labour intensive. Do you make it as a preserve or buy it locally?

[JungMann]

I buy makdous. I know Arabs have been preserving eggplants stuffed with garlic, walnuts and red peppers in olive oil for hundreds of years, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing it at home without a pressure canner!

[cresyd]

My preferred "big" breakfast is from a small market near where I work - a spinach and za'atar filled "pastry" far more similar to pita rather than phyllo dough. I like this with either labne or yogurt. A truly excellent way to start the day.

[JungMann]

Za'atar is a highly regional blend of herbs and seasonings. The Lebanese blend will feature a predominance of thyme, whereas the Syrian version might take on a brownish hue from pepper and cumin. Different blends and brands have different qualities. If you didn't like the version you bought, time to try another. FWIW, I make my own za'atar from thyme, oregano, sumac, sesame and pepper and used that blend for the recipes from "Jerusalem."

[HillJ]

I've only purchased za'atar from World Spice Merchants in Seattle (mail order) and it's an outstanding spice product; fresh and fragrant. They carry Israeli & Syrian blends. The list of individual spices that make up each blend are noted in the description page for each.

http://www.worldspice.com/blends

[cresyd]

The description of "fire, sweat and goat dung" - is not one I'd personally describe to any of the za'atar I've ever had in Jerusalem. I'd really just describe that as poetic license. Now there are a few open air markets in Jerusalem that occasionally smell of fire, sweat and dung - but that's another issue.

Sumac is not commonly included in za'atar here and is primarily composed of thyme, oregano, salt and sesame. Za'atar is also the word for fresh oregano.

[Harters]

My local Middle Eastern shop stocks three varieties of za'atar - Jordanian, Palestinian and Syrian. I'm unsure of the precise differences between them - the staff speak very little English and we did some of the conversation in French (of which both of us only speak the odd words). Jordanian is more zesty - presumably sumac in there - so that's the one I bought. It's a large jar and I'll never finish it before the "best before" date so it'll be some time before I can try the others.

I think Ottolenghi says somewhere that za'atar is the name for hyssop (or a hyssop tasting plant) in Palestine.

[juster]

Huh. I have no experience of hyssop or Israrli zaatar specifically, but what I've had (when purchasing, I specify it as Jordanian zaatar if I need to, aka "the green kind") is mostly thyme, plenty of sumac, and sesame seeds. Not dung-y or sweaty... just tangy and herby... Maybe he was trying to be overly evocative with the description?

Side note: my favorite use is for breakfast: take bit of pita, dunk in olive oil, dunk in zaatar, eat. From a Palestinian family we knew years (okay, decades now) ago.