Like food, spices go through trends in cooking as well. They might not be as popularized as the unicorn fad or black ice cream, but spices quite often go in and out of style. Za’atar, for instance, has been having its time in the spotlight recently. While it can traditionally be found sprinkled on pita bread, it’s becoming more ubiquitous, popping up on menus and even landing on top of the innocuous avocado toast. With all its popularity lately, you’ve probably been curious about what exactly za’atar is.
Simply, it’s the name for a Middle Eastern spice blend featuring oregano, sumac, cumin, sesame seeds, black pepper, and salt. The blend tends to change depending on what part of the world it’s being made; in Palestine, caraway seeds are added, while in Lebanon sumac berries are thrown in, giving it a distinctly dark red color. Either way, the spice is most commonly eaten with pita bread: Just dip the pita in olive oil, then in za’atar, and eat. Often times, za’atar is also used as a seasoning for meats and roasted vegetables, sprinkled on top of hummus and labneh, and it is even used to make herbal tea.
The blend is quite easy to make yourself—just use a mortar and pestle to crush all the ingredients together into a powder —but you can also buy it pre-made and put it on pretty much everything for an added nutty and herby flavor.
Whisk Affair
This easy recipe walks you through the process of making the spice blend. It calls for sumac, dried thyme, sesame seeds, dried oregano, sea salt, and marjoram, which get mixed together in a blender. Get the recipe.
Three Pepper Shakshuka Pita with Feta and Za’atar
Smitten Kitchen
These portable, hand-held pita pockets get stuffed with baked tomatoes, eggs, sauteed peppers, feta, and finally garnished with za’atar. If you’re looking for something different to make for brunch, these are a real crowd-pleaser. Get the recipe.
Za’atar Roasted Cauliflower with Dates, Pine Nuts, and Thyme
Downshiftology
Roasted cauliflower gets an upgrade when it’s roasted with za’atar, along with the usual salt, pepper, and olive oil. Finish it off with toasted pine nuts, chopped dates, and sprigs of thyme. Get the recipe.
Grilled Eggplant with Za’atar and Herby Lentil Salad
Happy Hearted Kitchen
Thick rounds of eggplant get coated in za’atar and olive oil before being grilled, which are then piled on top of warm lentils mixed with pine nuts, golden raisins, mint, parsley, and lemon zest. Get the recipe.
The Sugar Hit
Dreams of warm bread topped with za’atar can be a reality at home and not just in your neighborhood Middle Eastern restaurant. Making the dough for the flatbread is easy—it’s waiting for it to come out of the oven, hot and coated with za’atar, that’s the hard part. Get the recipe.
Gather at Table
Instead of dressing salmon with mustard, or just plain old salt and pepper (again), opt for za’atar to spice it up. Just rub the blend on as you’d normally do with any kind of seasoning for fish, then bake for 12-15 minutes. Get the recipe.
Za’atar Roasted Chicken Breast
The Mediterranean Dish
The intense earthy flavor from za’atar levels up your classic chicken breast from basic to impressive. Get the recipe.
Homemade Hummus with Za’atar and Sweet Paprika
Killing Thyme
Let’s be honest: Store-bought hummus never lives up to when you make it from scratch. This version amps it up through the garnish: a sprinkling of za’atar, paprika, parsley, and extra chickpeas. There’s no way you’d find that in the grocery store. Get the recipe.
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