Za’atar
Ingredients
We ran out of one of our staple spice mixes and Coriander, always eager to help in the kitchen, helped me organise the ingredients to replenish our stock…
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Salt
…measuring…
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Whole toasted Coriander seeds
…and grinding…
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Ground toasted Coriander
…and sniffing – toasted Coriander seeds smell very delicious and citrus-y!
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spices
She helped with the blending…
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Mixed
…and the bottling…
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Za’atar
…it’s all fun, but the coriander-sniffing was the best!
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We used a recipe from the internet – you may find many variations as the mixture varies from country to country. Most have thyme, sumac, salt, sesame seeds, coriander and cumin, sometimes chili, or oregano. This mixture is perfect for sprinkling onto soup or hummus, or adding flavouring anything that needs a little savour of the middle east!
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Quimper Hittys 
Sounds delicious! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks, Coriander and Ms QH Mistress.
We’ve enjoyed this mixture a lot, especially sprinkled onto a dollop of yoghurt in a bowl of lentil soup…It gives a nice flavour, we think!
We love za’atar! It does smell amazing but I have never contemplated making it! You have inspired me! Have a great weekend!
The sumac is the hard spice to find around here, but not as much now that we have a few Middle Eastern grocery stores in town.
Yum. I love toasting spices
I do too – the coriander becomes so fragrant and citrus-y! It’s remarkable how the aroma changes, and delightful how nice the kitchen smells!
I bought some za’atar once for a recipe but it was one of those dishes that took ages to make so the jar of spice languished at the back of the cupboard until I threw it out. Thank you for inspiring me to make my own and try again.
You are welcome! I like the mixture, just sprinkled on to things like soup! Also it is good on scrambled eggs – some people cook it with chicken or other meat! As I mentioned to Kat it can be hard to find the sumac, but maybe not if you can get it on-line.
One of the trees on my list of ones to source for my garden is a sumac. We had one in the garden of a house we lived in years ago but I had no idea it yielded spice!
I think it is the right plant, but I don’t know how to extract the spice either. Maybe from the flowers since the spice is the same dark rich red colour.
I shall have to do some research if I ever actually get a plant.
what an interesting spice blend….I might have to give it a try! You have introduced me to so many new flavors. thank you! Also Marie Claire is quite admiring of Corianders pinafore!
I am very lucky to live in a town that has a nice variety of international food options, and lots is available via the internet these days! The think I like about Za’atar is that it gives flavour without the heat of chili or cayenne. Especially if you make it yourself, you can regulate the amounts. And Coriander says thank you very much to Marie Claire!
I’m not familiar with za’atar but will give it a try, need to go shopping first. Wonder if the happy Gang will help with the mixing?
You might like it! Would you like me to give you a tablespoon of Sumac so you can try it out? I’d be happy to drop some off “up the hill”.
I was going to ask if the sumac is difficult to find. I will wait to go shopping when the white stuff is gone but would appreciate a spoonful to give it a try. Think we still have a few days of winter yet.