Palestinian · sauce/condiment
Za'atar (Wild Thyme, Sumac and Sesame Blend)
Za'atar (Wild Thyme, Sumac and Sesame Blend) reads sourness 4.6, warm spice 4.5 and salinity 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Palestinian sauce/condiment, about 15 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 3.8 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 2.2 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 4.8 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 2.3 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 3.6 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 5.0 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Sourness 4.6 · Warm Spice 4.5 · Salinity 3.6 · Herbaceous 3.6 · Nutty 3.1 · Floral 2.7 · Earthy 2.1 · Umami 2.0 · Sweetness 1.8 · Richness 1.7 · Bitterness 1.3 · Fruity 1.0 · Citrus 0.6
What's in it (8)
- dried wild thyme leaves — 150 g
- white sesame seeds — 80 g
- sumac — 60 g
- salt — 10 g
- caraway seeds — 20 g
- anise seed — 15 g
- chickpeas — 30 g
- citric acid crystals — 5 g
Time & effort: about 15 min · effort: easy
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 186.7 kcal, 7.3 g protein, 12.7 g fat, 14.7 g carbs
Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (7 steps)
- Za'atar is the herb and it is also the blend; the two share a name. Buy dried Origanum syriacum from a Palestinian or Levantine grocer — it is a broad grey-green leaf and smells of oregano, thyme and mint at once. Mediterranean thyme or oregano is a different plant and makes a different, thinner condiment.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking constantly, until they are the colour of pale honey and begin to pop. Tip them straight out onto a cold plate; left in the hot pan they keep cooking and turn bitter.
- Toast the caraway and aniseed together in the same pan for 90 seconds, until they smell sweet, then grind them in a spice mill.
- Rub the dried thyme leaves between your palms over a bowl to break them down and release the oil, discarding any stalk you find, about 5 minutes of work. A blender turns the leaf to dust; hands keep the texture.
- Add the sumac, salt, ground chickpeas, the ground caraway and aniseed, and the citric acid, and mix thoroughly for 2 minutes. The citric acid is what keeps the blend tasting bright once the sumac's own sourness fades in storage.
- Fold in the toasted sesame last so it stays whole. Taste on a piece of bread dipped in olive oil: it should be sour first, then herbal, then nutty, with the salt behind everything.
- Store airtight away from light. It is good for three months, after which it goes dusty and flat. Serve with olive oil for dipping bread, over labneh, on manakish, or rubbed into chicken.
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Keep reading: what sourness, warm spice, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.