19 replies to this topic

[Suvir Saran]

What do you use Zahtar for?

Where does it come from?

What do you like to use Zahtar for?

[LaNiña]

Are you talking about zatar alone, or zatar the blend (commonly referred to as zatar) which is made with sumac, thyme, salt, and sesame seeds?

from the web: "Zatar is a low growing shrub with square stems. The branches of the zatar are erect and hairy. The zatar flower is 5/8 inch tubular, pink corrolla that clusters on the end of the stem. The leaves are smooth, sessile and linear. They are 1/4 to 5/8 inches long. The fruit of the zatar are 4 nutlets. It is native from Greece to Isreal.

Zatar tastes like a hearty thyme."

[Suvir Saran]

Are you talking about zatar alone, or the spice blend that's called zatar that's usually made with sumac, thyme, salt, and sesame seeds?

Both....

Is that too much to ask about?

Also is there a preferred spelling?

Have you ever had Zahtar Creme Brulee?

[LaNiña]

I've seen zatar, za'atar, zahtar - all are transliterations from Arabic. I use zatar because it's just easy and phonetically straightforward, although I suppose za'atar is probably a bit more accurate (Orik? it is an ayin-ish thing?).

I use it with fish a lot, also in a marinade I use for steaks and for chicken. Also make it on top of pita, mixed with olive oil (found all over the city in middle eastern places, by the way).

I rarely use it alone - usually in a spice blend. Sometimes I make my own blend - but there are such good ones available in the middle eastern groceries, I usually buy it.

[Suvir Saran]

I rarely use it alone - usually in a spice blend.  Sometimes I make my own blend - but there are such good ones available in the middle eastern groceries, I usually buy it.

Same here.. I end up buying it at Sahadis.

So what do you think of the great Zatar Ice Cream Sandwich they sell?

Do you also use it in other desserts?

[anil]

I have seen it been used in breads in Morroco. Do not recall if Turks use it extensively except dips and
spreads.

[Robert Schonfeld]

I just happen to have ready access to expertise in this matter, and I'm told that, in Hebrew, it is spelled with an "ayin", producing a subtle pause and a soft glottal sound which is very difficult for westerners. For our purposes here, "zatar", or "zahtar" is good.

We have always used it with savory foods, but the dessert idea is intriguing.

There used to be a Lebanese bookstore owner on the next block who would bring me his own blend. Now there are no more neighborhood bookstores.

[Suzanne F]

I'm a little confused, because I know of 2 different kinds of zataar: one is green, and consists of wild marjoram, sesame seeds, and other herbs (Sahadi calls this one "Jordanian zataar"); the other is red and is made from ground sumac ("Syrian"). Are you talking about using sumac (red zataar) in desserts? Wow, great idea, since it adds that tart, almost-citrus-y tang!

I add one or the other (or even both) to the ground lamb when I make kofta kebabs. And I sprinkle them -- seperately -- on lamb chops or chicken before grilling. I believe the "classic" ways to use zataar is to dip pita into yogurt or olive oil and then into zataar, or to sprinkle the green kind on the bread dough before baking.

[Robert Schonfeld]

Now that I think about it, a middle eastern place we go to puts some on their rosewater pudding, along with some chopped pistachios.

[Suvir Saran]

I'm a little confused, because I know of 2 different kinds of zataar: one is green, and consists of wild marjoram, sesame seeds, and other herbs (Sahadi calls this one "Jordanian zataar"); the other is red and is made from ground sumac ("Syrian").  Are you talking about using sumac (red zataar) in desserts?  Wow, great idea, since it adds that tart, almost-citrus-y tang!

To make the dessert even better, add some garlic powder or onion powder (better yet, just add sambal badjak or curry powder with asafetida or even Thai green paste) and you could make yourself a perfect dessert marrying the Middle Eastern and American (or Indonesian, Indian or Thai) fusion desserts. Bold and new-agey... and yet delicious!

Nothing like a hint of savory in desserts...

A little garlic, onion, salt, turmeric, asafetida, toasted fenugreek or cumin never hurt a fine dessert.

[Jinmyo]

I think the strangest thing I do with zaatar (how I'm used to seeing it spelled) is to toast it and sprinle it on cold silken tofu with a blood orange reduction. I did this last year and probably will this year when the blood oranges start arriving.

[Orik]

I think the strangest thing I do with zaatar (how I'm used to seeing it spelled) is to toast it and sprinle it on cold silken tofu with a blood orange reduction.

You pervert.

Anyway, there is a nice collection of messages on Za'atar here:

click me

And it's not just westerners who have a hard time pronouncing Ayin correctly (not to mention the subtle differences between Kuf and Kaf, Chet and Chaf) but many Israelis (including myself) who pronounce it za'atar due to their ashkenazi upbringing.

I've always used it for sprinkling on hummus and labaneh or for making the parallel of garlic bread (pita with za'atar), but have considered it as a candidate for crusting a saddle of lamb. I've found the variety sold here as Jordanian to be practically identical to what you can get in Israel, probably based on the same kind of Hyssop, but I know there are many other plants that pass as Za'atar in the middle east.

[boaziko]

Another favorite of mine with Z'aatar is:
grilled eggplant with tahini; a mix of 1\2 a lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, sea salt, crushed chili, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, some black pepper.
After grilling the e-plant you half it, put some of the mix on top, than some good quality tahini, than some more of the mix and sprinkle some fresh Z'aatar and a little chopped parsley. (better have a handy pita or a proper replacement). Good yugort could also do the trick in case of thini shortage.

[Steve Klc]

"Using sumac (red zataar) in desserts? Wow, great idea, since it adds that tart, almost-citrus-y tang!"

I agree with you, Suzanne, and couldn't have said it better. Sumac has an irresistible sourness, an astringent taste--the question is, how to use it in dessert? And I think that comes down to how open-minded you are, how much experience you have and how much confidence you have in your own ability to tell good from bad once you try something--and then go back to the drawing board to start all over again if an experiment goes awry. It helps if you are fearless. It also helps if you are willing to make mistakes.

I have to admit, I'm still working on the "sumac alone" angle--I have a Lebanese chef friend who makes a "juice" out of the sumac powder and then substitutes it for lemon juice, when he wants the red color and astringency in something--maybe that's a clue. That makes me think about a "gelatin" of sumac--maybe cut into little bright red cubes sprinkled into a milk pudding or muhallabeya for a tart contrast--or maybe a sumac--blood orange--red fruit soup--thanks Jin--sprinkled with pistachio! I bet sumac would marry well with a strawberry-rhubarb compote? (Come to think of it--that will be a dessert special next year when strawbs and rhubarb return.) However, the best I've personally come up with so far is lightly sprinkled sumac on lemon sorbet--boring, I know--as an intermezzo or palate cleanser. That works well, especially after a course which contained sumac, say a salad like fattoush or a kebab.

Now zaatar, the blend, is something I’m a little more familiar with--I've used dried wild thyme mixes from Jordan, Israel and Syria--and for me it is the combination with toasted sesame seed, sumac and salt which makes it very interesting for dessert. (I think the Jordanian zaatar mix had toasted wheat in it as well.) Maybe zaatar is not meant for a sundae, but I've had good luck with it in breakfast pastries--and incorporating it into laminated doughs--and especially doughs like danish and croissant with lots of sweet cream butter in the mixture. The first issue is, though--is your mind open enough? Suzanne--it seems yours definitely is. It also seems at least a few eGulleteers have the confidence and experience to accept thinking outside of the box, outside what is numbingly familiar or traditional within a culture--like when Robert mentioned the rosewater/pistachio milk pudding and a restaurant dusting it with sumac or Jin with her blood orange/tofu dish (both of which sound fab to me)--and if you can’t accept that--or if you’re the type of person that needs to follow exact recipes or follow only what is in a book, you might run into trouble.

But, say you take the plunge, the worst that can happen is you don’t like what you make, then you move on and try again. What chef or cook hasn't learned from their mistakes? So if you can get over the mental hurdle, then there's the 2nd issue--what does it do on your palate? And here’s where it gets interesting--again, because you are going against the grain--against what is traditionally accepted and passed down in books or from mentors. You have to trust how you create, how you taste things and your judgement in whether it works. It can't just be seen as new, bold or "fusion" food, it has to be good food.

I don't know why I thought zaatar would work with laminated doughs but I did--maybe it was because I knew chefs had sprinkled herbs and spices onto puff sticks and served them as long thin twisted breadsticks for as long as I can remember. Lots of chefs and pastry chefs around the world have used the components of zaatar--individually--in desserts for some time now and some even since antiquity: salt has been added to dessert components for centuries, thyme with chocolate, or with fruits like apricot can be heavenly, sesame seeds toasted and/or cooked with honey or candied are used in innumerable desserts and sweets, sea salt and chocolate is now ubiquitous in high end dining--so that just left sumac. Well, blended into zaatar--the sumac is balanced and the effect of the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. (Kind of like a good curry powder.) Anyway, for me zaatar paired with the sweet creaminess and richness of unsalted butter rocks--use it in puff, roll it into your dough as your turning it, use it in breakfast pastries like danish or croissant dough, and if you really want an almost indescribable treat--use it with any of these doughs baked in combination with an unsalted fresh cheese, loose like ricotta, thicker like lebne or fromage blanc--basically make a wrapped or stuffed cheese danish--but bake it with zaatar. A slightly sweetened cheesecake, sprinkled with zaatar, tuck in an apricot half, all surrounded by a buttery browned dough--I tell you it is awesome. One version I did with a goat’s milk yogurt (from a Greek farm in Ontario) strained, pressed, sweetened slightly--came out great--and another with crumbled goat cheese, sprinkled with zaatar and chopped pine nuts, and then wrapped in dough and deep fried--served with a caramelized thyme honey reduction--also came out very well. (Instead of brushing the edges with egg wash to seal--I brushed them with tahini.) Zaatar mixed with some granulated sugar, and sprinkled on phyllo sheets after brushing with butter, make nice tuiles for your sweetened cheese or yogurt cream fillings, too.

None of these have made it onto a formal menu yet, for varying reasons, but they're all good, involve zaatar and work as a dessert--if your definition of dessert--and your outlook--is not so rigid.

And the beauty is you don't need recipes, really--these forms are familiar--who hasn't had a cheese danish or a rustic tart or deep-fried pastry? Just start with a light hand--and then taste. You might be surprised with yourself in a good way.

[torakris]

I was watching a Nigella Lawson show the other day and she made a chicken dish that had been rubbed with za'atar (the spice mix). It looked incredible, so I decided to try it. I could only find one recipe in all of my many books for how to make the spice blend. So I tossed together the dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds and rubbed it into some chicken wings that had been brined first. I then grilled them on the BBQ and wow! this was one of the best things I have ever eaten.
I really thought the thyme would be overwhelming but it was perfect, even my kids all devoured them.

So do you make your own?
what do you add and in what proportions?

What do you eat it with?

[Nyleve Baar]

There is a bakery in Ottawa - called the Middle East Bakery, funny enough - on Somerset where they make the most addictive and delicious pita with zaatar that I have ever had. The pita is big, flat and soft and the zaatar is baked right into the topping with olive oil. I used to have a friend who supplied my habit, but we've lost touch and now I have to either find another friend or live without it.

I think that I will try baking a flat bread with a zaatar topping - even something focaccia-like would be awesome.

[zeitoun]

A classic "pairing" with zaatar is of course bread, any bread really, which is discussed at length here. Two things to keep in mind though is that for this kind of preparation adding olive oil to the zaatar is essential. The amount of olive oil you add is up to you really since some people like it kind of liquid while others like it pasty. I like mine liquid.

I've also used dried zaatar alone to grill chicken !!!great stuff!!! or sprinkled in grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, as a condiment in cheese or labne and olives in pita bread rolls etc...I personaly think that it blends well with any kind of salty cheese in general (mixed with feta it is awesome)

If you decide to make your own, I wouldn't hesitate to set your own proportions as some peeple like it with more or less sumac/thyme or sesame seeds. It really varies so, however you like it will do...

[FoodMan]

I am planning on making my own soon, since I have an out-of-control oregano shrub in my back yard. The ingredients are those:

-Oregano, dried
-Sumac
-Toasted sesame seeds
-Salt

The proportion does vary depending on taste. But I would guess that the Oregano (or Thyme) should comprise 50% or more of the mixture. I will post about it when I do get to make it.

Elie

[Almass]

Anybody tried the Green Zaatar salad.

Sprigs of fresh green zaatar (uncut) with a Lemon/Olive Oil/Salt/Pepper dressing and finely cut spring onions,

with an assortment of fresh Kebeh Naiee (Raw pounded lamb + Burghul), Fresh Habra Naiee (Raw pounded lamb), Fresh Kebbe Naiee Harra (Raw pounded lamb + Burghul + Chilli pepper), Fresh Kasbeh Naiee (Cut raw Lamb liver), Fresh Shekaf Naiee (Cut raw lamb pieces) lots and lots of Olive Oil with salt and Pepper, add a nice Hommos Hab dish (cooked Hommos beans with a dressing of Olive Oil + Cumin + Black ground Pepper and NO LEMON), a pitcher of Arak Telt bi Teltein (third water only) and few dew ladden green almonds dipped in salt, what a way to start the day.

Oooops, the dream got carried away...

Edited by Almass, 05 May 2005 - 08:41 AM.

[FoodMan]

Anybody tried the Green Zaatar salad.

Sprigs of fresh green zaatar (uncut) with a Lemon/Olive Oil/Salt/Pepper dressing and finely cut spring onions,

with an assortment of fresh Kebeh Naiee (Raw pounded lamb + Burghul), Fresh Habra Naiee (Raw pounded lamb), Fresh Kebbe Naiee Harra (Raw pounded lamb + Burghul + Chilli pepper), Fresh Kasbeh Naiee (Cut raw Lamb liver), Fresh Shekaf Naiee (Cut raw lamb pieces) lots and lots of Olive Oil with salt and Pepper, add a nice Hommos Hab dish (cooked Hommos beans with a dressing of Olive Oil  + Cumin + Black ground Pepper and NO LEMON), a pitcher of Arak Telt bi Teltein (third water only) and few dew ladden green almonds dipped in salt, what a way to start the day.

Oooops, the dream got carried away...

The salad you speak of is some good stuff...We used to go picking the stuff from the hillside in my town. I would normally add tomatoes to mine though in addition to your ingredients.

Elie