"Zayt u za'tar – olive oil and the treasured Palestinian spice, za'tar, mixed together and slathered on bread – is the staple of the Palestinian diet, especially at breakfast. A mixture of spices originating in the Middle East. The Arabic term za'tar refers to any of various local herbs of the mint family, including marjoram, oregano and thyme. Alternate spellings include za'atar, zaa'tar, zataar, zaatar, zatar, zattar or zahatar. Za'tar is used to spice meats and vegetables, and is mixed with olive oil to make a spread (za'atar-ul-zayt or zayt-tu-zaa'tar), which is used as a dip for sesame rings (ka'k). George Bisharat sends this recipe to us adapted from The Arab Table by Palestinian May Bsisu.
"May Bsisu says the addition of caraway seeds is a distinctively Palestinian variation. Palestinian cooking is highly individual and family-based, and each cook has his or her own ideas about the perfect recipe for this or that. So you could easily show this to another Palestinian and he would protest, and
offer yet another variation." – George Bisharat
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 cup dried oregano leaves
1/2 cup dried thyme leaves
3 Tablespoons ground sumac (available in Middle Eastern stores)
2 1/2 Tablespoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
To Prepare:
Place sesame seeds in skillet over medium/high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until they start to crackle and pop. As seeds begin to brown lightly, remove skillet from heat and continue stirring. As soon as all of the seeds are uniformly light brown, transfer them to a plate to cool.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Rub the oregano and thyme leaves through the sieve into the bowl. Mix in sumac, salt, allspice, and caraway seeds. Add the cooled sesame seeds. Taste, and adjust flavors by adding more sumac (to make it more tart) or allspice (to make it more aromatic).
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