Za'atar, Your Favorite Middle-Eastern Spice Blend. Here’s How to Make It at Home. — tastebook.com

This tangy, nutty, herbaceous Middle Eastern spice blend pairs well with just about everything. Photos: Linda Schneider Tangy, nutty, herbaceous—za’atar pairs well with many foods. But before we get into the details of how to use this dynamic and delicious spice blend, there’s some clarification needed for the word itself. “Za’atar” is the Arabic word for thyme, and it’s used for both the name of a wild plant and the spice mixture itself. This can be confusing for some spice hunters. In addition to herbs, a standard za’atar blend includes roasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, and often salt. The ratio of these ingredients varies depending on the household and the region it’s in—the blend is used throughout the Middle East in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria. In fact, just as with ras hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, or Indian curry blends, many families have a tightly guarded recipe for za’atar.

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