Thymus capitatus (also called Satureja capitata), is a species of wild thyme, also known as za'atar farsi (Arabic: "Persian za'atar"), it is found throughout the hills of the Levant and Mediterranean Middle East. Thyme is said to be a plant, "powerfully associated with Palestine," and the spice mixture za'atar is common fare there. Thymbra spicata, a plant native from Greece to Israel, has been cultivated in North America by Syrian and Lebanese immigrants for use in their za'atar preparations since the 1940s.
Another species identified as "wild za'atar" (Arabic:za'atar barri) is Origanum vulgare, commonly known as European oregano, oregano, pot marjoram, wild marjoram, winter marjoram, or wintersweet. This species is also extremely common in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and is used by Palestinians to make one local variety of the spice mixture.
Other Latin names for the herbs called za'atar in Arabic include Origanum syriacum (also known as Bible hyssop, Syrian oregano and wild marjoram) and Origanum majorana (sweet marjoram). Both oregano and marjoram are closely related Mediterranean plants of the Lamiaceae family, so it is unsurprising that they could be used interchangeably.
Some varieties may add savory, cumin, coriander or fennel seed. One distinctively Palestinian variation of za'atar includes caraway seeds, while a Lebanese variety sometimes contains sumac berries, and has a distinct dark red color. Like baharat (a typically Egyptian spice mix of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice or rosebuds) and other spice mixtures popular in the Arab world, za'atar is high in anti-oxidants.
Za'atar, both the herb and the condiment, is popular in Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.
There is evidence that a za'atar plant was known and used in Ancient Egypt, though its ancient name has yet to be determined with certainty. Remains of thymbra spicata, one variety used in modern za'atar preparations, were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and according to Dioscorides, this particular species was known to the Ancient Egyptians as saem.
Pliny the Elder mentions an herb maron as an ingredient of the Regale Unguentum ("Royal Perfume") used by the Parthian kings in the 1st century CE Saadiah (d. 942), Ibn Ezra (d. circa 1164), and Maimonides (1135–1204) identified the ezov mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the Arabic za'atar. Along with other spiced salts, za'atar has been used as a staple in Arab cuisine from medieval times to the present.Za'atar has historical significance for Palestinians, some of whom see the presence of za'atar in a house as a signifier denoting that it's a Palestinian home. For Palestinian refugees, plants and foods such as za'atar also serve as signifiers of the house, village, and region from which they hailed.
For Israeli Jews, za'atar used to be an exotic treat associated with visits to Arab bakeries. It is now considered in Israel to be, "an integral element in Israeli cuisine." Some Israeli companies market za'atar commercially as "hyssop" or "holy hyssop". Hyssopus officinalis is never found in the wild in Israel, but Origanum vulgare is extremely common.
Ecologists state that plants like wild za'atar were on the verge of extinction in Israel due to over-harvesting, and 1977 Israeli legislation declared it a protected species. Violators face heavy fines. Some Arab citizens of Israel (who traditionally picked the wild herbs,) have claimed that the legislation of 1977 seems "almost anti-Arab." There is a similar Israeli military administration ban on gathering wild thyme or za'atar in the West Bank, and za'atar plants were confiscated from Palestinians at IDF checkpoints in 2006.
Za'atar can be used as a seasoning for meats and vegetables or be sprinkled onto a plate of hummus. It is also eaten with labneh (yogurt drained to make a tangy, creamy cheese), and bread and olive oil for breakfast, most commonly in Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as other places in the Arab world. The Lebanese speciality shanklish, dry-cured balls of labneh, can be rolled in za'atar to form its outer coating.
Fresh za'atar, the herb itself, rather than the condiment, is also used in a number of dishes. Borek is a common bread pastry that can be stuffed with various ingredients, including za'atar. A salad made of fresh za'atar leaves (Arabic: salatet al-zaatar al-akhdar) is also popular throughout the Levant. The recipe is a simple one consisting of fresh thyme, finely chopped onions, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
A traditional beverage in Oman consists of za'atar steeped in boiling water to make an herbal tea.
Category:Herb and spice mixtures Category:Middle Eastern cuisine Category:Arab cuisine Category:Arabic words and phrases
ar:زعتر نابلسي de:Zahtar es:Zataar fr:Zahtar it:zattar he:זעתר sl:Za'atarThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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