Za'atar is to Palestinian cooking what olive oil is to Italian - present at almost every meal, deeply tied to the land, and impossible to replicate with a substitute.
Zaytoun's version is made from Majorana Syriaca, an indigenous variety of wild thyme native to Palestine, hand-harvested twice a year in the Jenin and Nablus areas by the Burqin Women's Cooperative. The leaves are sun-dried on rooftops and hand-stripped from their stems before being blended with toasted sesame, sumac, sea salt and a touch of olive oil.
It's earthy, aromatic, faintly citrusy and genuinely unlike anything from a supermarket spice aisle.
Stir it into olive oil and eat with warm bread - the classic. Or use it to season roasted vegetables, labneh, eggs, flatbreads, chicken or fish.
In Palestinian folklore, za'atar is said to aid concentration, so generations of Palestinian children have been sent to school with za'atar and olive oil on their morning bread. Once you have a jar in the kitchen, you'll understand why.
Za'atar - Majorana Syriaca (55%), Sesame, Sumac, Sea Salt, Olive Oil.
Contains: sesame. May contain gluten. Packed in an environment where nuts, gluten and milk may be present.
Contains: sesame. May contain gluten. Packed in an environment where nuts, gluten and milk may be present. Always check the label before consuming.
How do I use za'atar?
The classic way is to mix it generously with good olive oil and use it as a dip with warm bread. It's also brilliant sprinkled on eggs, stirred through yoghurt or labneh, used as a rub for chicken or lamb, tossed with roasted vegetables, or baked onto flatbreads as mana'eesh.
What does za'atar taste like?
Earthy, herby and faintly citrusy - the sumac gives it a slight sharpness, the sesame adds depth, and the Majorana Syriaca itself has a distinctive flavour that sits somewhere between thyme, oregano and marjoram but is really its own thing entirely.
What is Zaytoun?
Zaytoun is a UK social enterprise founded in 2004 to support Palestinian farming communities through fair trade. They source directly from Palestinian farmers and reinvest 100% of their profits into their mission. All products are fairly traded and ethically sourced.
