Za'atar ( ; ar, زَعْتَر, ) is a

culinary herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

or family of herbs. It is also the name of a

spice mixture Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in a recipe, it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chili powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic sal ...

that includes the herb along with toasted

sesame seeds Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

, dried sumac, often salt, as well as other

spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...

. As a family of related Middle Eastern herbs, it contains plants from the genera ''

Origanum ''Origanum'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in s ...

'' ( oregano), ''

Calamintha ''Calamintha'' is a genus of plants that belongs to the family Lamiaceae. Commonly called the calamints, there are about eight species in the genus (around 30 before revisions in taxonomy) which is native to the northern temperate regions of E ...

'' ( basil thyme), ''

Thymus The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or ''T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. ...

'' (typically ''

Thymus vulgaris ''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme, German thyme, garden thyme or just thyme) is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Growing to tall by wide, it ...

'', i.e.,

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus '' Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

), and ''

Satureja ''Satureja'' is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included ...

'' ( savory) plants.Allen, 2007
p. 237
. The name ''za'atar'' alone most properly applies to ''

Origanum syriacum ''Origanum syriacum''; syn. ''Majorana syriaca'' (also ''Origanum maru'', although this primarily refers to a hybrid of ''O. syriacum''), bible hyssop, Biblical-hyssop, Lebanese oregano or Syrian oregano, is an aromatic perennial herb in the mint ...

'', considered in biblical scholarship to be the

ezov Ezov ( he, אֵזוֹב) is the Classical Hebrew name of a plant mentioned in the Bible in the context of religious rituals. In some English-language Bibles, the word is transliterated as ''ezob.'' The Septuagint translates the name as ὕσσ ...

( he, אזוב ) of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Hyssopus officinalis ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expec ...

''. Used in

Levantine cuisine Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant. Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Levantine cuisine is ''meze'' including '' tabbouleh'', ''hummus'' and ''baba ghanoush''. Levantine dishes * Arabic coffee (قهوة عر ...

, both the herb and spice mixture are popular throughout the Mediterranean region of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

Etymology

According to Ignace J. Gelb, an

Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language th ...

word that can be read ''sarsar'' may refer to a spice plant. This word could be attested in the

Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...

''satre'', and Arabic ''za'atar'' (or ''sa'tar''), possibly the source of Latin ''Satureia''.Gelb, 1956, p. 74. Satureia (''

'') is a common name for ''

Satureja thymbra ''Satureja thymbra'', commonly known as savory of Crete, whorled savory, pink savory, and Roman hyssop ( Arabic: ''za'atar rumi''; ''za'atar franji''), is a perennial-green dwarf shrub of the family Lamiaceae, having strongly scented leaves, ende ...

'', a species of savory whose other common and ethnic names include, "Persian za'atar", "za'atar rumi" (Roman hyssop), and "za'atar franji" (European hyssop).Allen, 2007
p. 230
Faculté de Médecine de Paris, 1818
p. clxxviii
In the Modern Hebrew language, ''za'atar'' is used as an Arabic

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because t ...

. ''

Thymus capitatus ''Thymus capitatus'' is a compact, woody perennial native to Mediterranean Europe and Turkey, more commonly known as conehead thyme, Persian-hyssop and Spanish oregano. It is also known under the name ''Thymbra capitata''. Description The plant ...

'' (also called ''Satureja capitata'') is a species of wild

found throughout the hills of the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

Middle East.Basan, 2007
p. 196
Thyme is said to be a plant "powerfully associated with Palestine", and the spice mixture za'atar is common fare there. '' Thymbra spicata'', a plant native to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and to Palestine/Israel and has been cultivated in North America by Syrian,

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

, and Lebanese immigrants for use in their za'atar preparations since the 1940s. Another species identified as "wild za'atar" (Arabic:''za'atar barri'') is ''

Origanum vulgare Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial pl ...

'', commonly known as European oregano, oregano, pot marjoram, wild marjoram, winter marjoram, or wintersweet. This species is also extremely common in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, Syria,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, and Palestine, and is used by peoples of the region to make one local variety of the spice mixture. Other

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

names for the herbs called za'atar in Arabic include ''

'' (also known as

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

hyssop, Arabic oregano and wild marjoram) and '' Origanum majorana'' (sweet marjoram).Seidemann, 2005, p. 365. Both oregano and marjoram are closely related

plants of the family Lamiaceae, so it is unsurprising that they could be used interchangeably.

Preparation as a condiment, and variations

Za'atar as a prepared condiment is traditionally made with ground ''origanum syriacum'' mixed with roasted

sesame seed Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

s, and salt, though other spices such as sumac berries might also be added. In areas where ''origanum syriacum'' is not readily available,

, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof is used instead, and some commercial varieties also include roasted wheat. Traditionally, housewives throughout the Fertile Crescent, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula made their own variations of za'atar.Heine, 2004
p. 69
This general practice is cited by Western observers of Middle Eastern and North African culinary cultures as one reason for their difficulties in determining the names of the different spices used. Written history lacks an early definitive reference to za'atar as a spice mixture, though unidentified terms in the Yale Babylonian Collection may be references to spice blends.Kaufman, 2006
p. 29
Some varieties may add savory, cumin, coriander or fennel seed.Roberts, 2000
p. 84
One distinctively Palestinian variation of za'atar includes caraway seeds, while a Lebanese variety contains more sumac and has a distinct dark red color.Nabhan, 2004
p. 88-89
Like ''baharat'' (a typically Egyptian spice mix of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice or rosebuds) and other spice mixtures popular in the Arab world, za'atar is high in anti-oxidants. Za'atar, both the herb and the condiment, is popular in Algeria, Armenia, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.

History

There is evidence that a za'atar plant was known and used in Ancient Egypt, though its ancient name has yet to be determined with certainty.Manniche, 1989
p. 150
Remains of ''Thymbra spicata'', one species used in modern za'atar preparations, were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and according to Dioscorides, this particular species was known to the Ancient Egyptians as ''saem''.Gardner, 2004
p. 326
Pliny the Elder mentions a herb ''maron'' as an ingredient of the ''Regale Unguentum'' ("Royal Perfume") used by the Parthian empire, Parthian kings in the 1st century CE.This is usually rendered as English ''marum'' (defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ''Thymus mastichina'' or ''Teucrium marum''), but Dalby interprets this as ''

'' and translates it as ''zatar''; Dalby, 2000
p. 189
Dalby, 2002
p. 108
In Jewish tradition, Saadiah (d. 942), Abraham ibn Ezra, Ibn Ezra (d. circa 1164), Maimonides (1135–1204) and Obadiah ben Abraham (1465–1515) identified the ''

'' mentioned in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Isser, 1976
p. 99
Ezov/za'atar is particularly associated with ritual purity ceremonies, such as preparing the ashes of the red heifer (Numbers 19:6) and handling bodily contaminations (Leviticus 14:4, 6, 51–52; Numbers 20:18). The Children of Israel are also said to have used a clump of ezov/za'atar stalks to daub the blood of the Passover, Paschal sacrifice on the doorposts of their houses before leaving bondage in Egypt (Exodus 12:22). King David refers to the purifying powers of the herb in Psalm 51:7, "Cleanse me with ezov/za'atar and I shall be purified." Much later, ezov/za'atar appears in the 2nd century CE Mishnah as an ingredient in food at that time in Judea ('Uktzin 2:2), while elsewhere in the Talmud there is mention of herbs ground into oil (a preparation called ''mish'cha t'china'' in Aramaic, משחא טחינא), but it is not specified whether this was like the za'atar mix known today. In the 12th century Maimonides described the use of the za'atar (צעתר, صعتر) he identified in contemporary cuisine, noting that "the ''ezov'' mentioned in the Torah is the ''ezov'' that the homeowners eat and season their stews with it." (Mishneh Torah, Parah Adumah 3:2) Along with other spiced salts, za'atar has been used as a staple in Levantine cuisine, Arab cuisine from medieval times to the present.Basan, 2007
p. 27
Za'atar has historical significance for Palestinians, some of whom see the presence of za'atar as the signifier of a Palestinian household. For Palestinian refugees, plants and foods such as za'atar also serve as signifiers of the house, village, and region from which they hailed.Lien and Nerlich, 2004
pp. 148–149.
/ref> Once used mainly by Arab bakeries, za'atar is now a common herb in Israeli cuisine. Some Israeli companies market za'atar commercially as "hyssop" or "holy hyssop". ''

Hyssopus officinalis ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expec ...

'' is not found in the wild in Israel, but ''Origanum vulgare'' is extremely common. Ecologists found that wild za'atar was on the verge of extinction in Israel due to over-harvesting. In 1977, an Israeli law was passed declaring it a protected species. Violators are subject to fines. Some Arab citizens of Israel (who traditionally picked the wild herbs) have described the legislation as "almost anti-Arab". The ban on picking wild za'atar is also enforced in the West Bank. In 2006, za'atar plants were confiscated at Israel Defense Forces checkpoint, IDF checkpoints.

Culinary use

Za'atar is traditionally dried in the sun and mixed with salt, sesame seeds and sumac. It is commonly eaten with pita, which is dipped in olive oil and then za'atar. When the dried herb is moistened with olive oil, the spread is known as ''za'atar-wu-zayt'' or ''zeit ou za'atar'' (''zeit'' or ''zayt'', meaning "oil" in Arabic and "olive" in Hebrew). This mixture spread on a dough base and baked as a bread, produces manakish, manakeesh bi zaatar.Carter et al., 2004
p. 68
In the Mediterranean region of Middle East, ka'ak (a soft

bread), is sold in bakeries and by street vendors with za'atar to dip into or with a za'atar filling.Cheshin et al., 2001
p. 14
Za'atar is used as a seasoning for meats and vegetables or sprinkled onto hummus. It is also eaten with labneh (yogurt drained to make a tangy, creamy cheese), and bread and olive oil for breakfast, most commonly in Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as other places in the Arab world.Marin and Deguilhem, 2002
p. 69
Ray, 2004
p. 154
The Lebanese speciality ''shanklish'', dry-cured balls of labneh, can be rolled in za'atar to form its outer coating.Savill and O'Meara, 2005
p. 273
The fresh za'atar herb is used in a number of dishes. Burek, Borek is a common bread pastry that can be stuffed with various ingredients, including za'atar. A salad made of fresh za'atar leaves (Arabic: ''salatet al-zaatar al-akhdar'') is also popular throughout the Levant.The Poetry Society, 2006
p. 5
The recipe is simple, consisting of fresh thyme, finely chopped onions, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. A traditional beverage in Oman is za'atar steeped in boiling water to make a herbal tea.Marshall Cavendish, 2007
p. 309

Folk medicine

In Palestine, there is a folk belief that za'atar makes the mind alert, and children are sometimes encouraged to eat za'atar at breakfast before school.Swedenburg, 2003
p. 59
Maimonides (Rambam), a medieval rabbi and physician who lived in Spain, Morocco, and Egypt, prescribed za'atar for its health advancing properties in the 12th century.Marks, 2010
p. 630
Since ancient times, people in the Mediterranean region of Middle East have thought za'atar could be used to reduce and eliminate internal parasites.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{portal bar, Food Herb and spice mixtures Arab cuisine Israeli cuisine Jordanian cuisine Lebanese cuisine Levantine cuisine Palestinian cuisine Syrian cuisine Turkish cuisine Condiments