Za’atar

Za’atar means ‘thyme’, but in practice the word always refers to a mix in which dried thyme is one of the star ingredients. There are two known variants of za’atar. The first is the ‘green’ version, which is originally from Palestine. For one portion of this type of za’atar, I mix 5 tablespoons of dried thyme with 4 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of sumac and 1 tablespoon of marjoram.

The second version of za’atar is from Aleppo, and is a mix of 11 ingredients, including: fennel seed, anise seed, coriander seed, watermelon seeds, dried and ground pomegranate seeds and ground peanuts. It is harder to prepare than Palestinian za’atar.