Za'atar

• 1. Introduction

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  Za'atar, pronounced ZAH-tar, has a long record in the ground. In the tomb of Tutankhamun, dated to the 14th century BCE, researchers found plant remains identified as Thymbra spicata. That herb is one of several still sold under the name za'atar. The word belongs to the Levant, and it points at two things at once. It names a family of wild aromatic plants, and it names the dried seasoning cooks make from them. How did one word come to cover both? Where did the name itself come from? And why do some people now argue over who may pick these plants on a hillside?

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• 2. Roots of a Name

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  The Assyriologist Ignace Gelb noticed an Akkadian word, sarsar, that may have referred to a spice plant. If so, it could be an early relative of the modern name. The word seems linked to the Syriac satre and to the Arabic za'atar, which is also spelled sa'tar. Some scholars think these ancient Semitic terms influenced the Latin Satureia, a name used for plants of the Satureja genus.

  One member of that genus shows how far the name travels. Satureja thymbra is sometimes called Persian za'atar. Arabic sources call it za'atar rumi, meaning Roman hyssop, and za'atar franji, meaning European hyssop. Each label sends the plant to a different corner of the map. Modern Hebrew simply borrowed the Arabic word and wrote it as זעתר.

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• 3. A Family of Herbs

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  Bible hyssop, Arabic oregano and wild marjoram are all names for a single plant, Origanum syriacum. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, the mints. Its close cousins include European oregano, Origanum vulgare, and sweet marjoram, Origanum majorana. The three resemble one another so closely that people often confuse them. Together they form the botanical core of za'atar.

  The label stretches further still. Thymbra spicata, a native of the Levant, has been grown in North America by Lebanese and Syrian immigrant communities since the 1940s. Thymus capitatus, also classed as Satureja capitata, grows across the Mediterranean Middle East. In Palestine it carries particular weight, because thyme is bound up with local cooking.

  Even the European oregano can wear the name. Under the title wild za'atar, written زعتر بري, Origanum vulgare thrives in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine.

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• 4. Ancient Witnesses

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  The Greek physician Dioscorides wrote that the Egyptians called Thymbra spicata saem. Even so, the exact ancient Egyptian name for za'atar remains uncertain. Roman writing offers another clue. In the 1st century CE, Pliny the Elder described an ingredient called maron in his Natural History. It went into Regale Unguentum, the Royal Perfume, a fragrance used by Parthian rulers. Scholars still debate what maron was, though some link it to plants in the za'atar group.

  Jewish scholars gave the herb a place in scripture. Saadia Gaon in the 10th century, Abraham ibn Ezra in the 12th, Maimonides across the 12th and 13th, and Obadiah of Bertinoro across the 15th and 16th all made the same match. They read the ezov of the Hebrew Bible, found in Exodus 12:22 and other passages, as the plant Arabic speakers call za'atar. Rabbinic and Samaritan traditions agree, and so do the Hebrew and Samaritan versions of scripture.

  Possible early mentions may also sit in the Yale Babylonian Collection. No one has been able to attribute them with certainty.

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• 5. Anatomy of a Blend

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  Grind Origanum syriacum, roast some sesame seeds, add salt: that is the traditional skeleton of the mixture. Many cooks add sumac berries for tartness. The herb is sun-dried before it meets the other ingredients. Where Origanum syriacum is hard to find, cooks reach for thyme, oregano, marjoram or a blend of them.

  That habit of household improvisation, found across the Fertile Crescent, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula, has made life difficult for outside researchers. Western observers struggle to pin down exactly which plants old texts describe.

  Regions have their own signatures. Lebanese za'atar turns dark red because of generous sumac, and some cooks add orange zest. Palestinian blends often include caraway seeds. Commercial makers sometimes bulk the mixture with wheat flour. Others add savory, cumin, coriander or fennel seed.

  Baharat, the Egyptian blend of cinnamon, cloves and allspice, is another Arab mixture of this kind. Like za'atar, it is prized for its high antioxidant content as well as its flavor.

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• 6. On the Table

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  Manakish bi zaatar are flatbreads spread with a paste of za'atar and olive oil before they go into the oven. They are probably the most recognizable use of the blend. Ka'ak, a soft sesame bread of the eastern Mediterranean, often arrives with za'atar on the side for dipping or tucked inside. Stir the blend into olive oil and you get za'atar-wu-zayt, called zeit ou za'atar in some places, a spread eaten with pita.

  The seasoning also lands on grilled meats and roasted vegetables, and it deepens hummus. It pairs well with labneh, the thick strained yogurt cheese. In Lebanon, cooks cure balls of labneh and roll them in za'atar to make shanklish.

  Fresh leaves have their own dishes. Salatet al-zaatar al-akhdar mixes the herb with onions, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Stuffed pastries such as börek also use it. In Oman, steeping it in hot water makes an aromatic tea.

  Breakfast tables in Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon all feature it. Its use reaches east to Iraq and west to Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

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• 7. The Herb as Medicine

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  A pharmacological work of the 13th century, A-lma'tmd fi al-a'douiah al-mfrdah, whose title translates as The approved book in single drugs, is attributed to the physician al-Turkomani, who lived from 1222 to 1297. It lists za'atar as both a food and a remedy. The text says it eases abdominal pain, strengthens the membranes of the intestines and helps digestion.

  Maimonides, the Jewish philosopher and physician who lived from 1135 to 1204, also recommended it for health. He practiced medicine in Al-Andalus, Morocco and Egypt. Some ancient Mediterranean cultures went further and believed the herb could fight internal parasites.

  Palestinian folk practice gives za'atar a role in the mind as well as the gut. Children are encouraged to eat it at breakfast, so that they will be alert at school.

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• 8. A Protected Plant

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  In 1977, Israel declared Origanum syriacum a protected species because of overharvesting. Stricter limits followed in 2005, with fines for violations. The aim was to protect the plant. Some Arab citizens, however, see the rules as a restriction on traditional foraging. Some have described the laws as "almost anti-Arab". The restrictions reached the West Bank, where plants were reportedly confiscated at Israeli checkpoints in 2006.

  The quarrel makes sense against what the herb means to Palestinians. A jar of za'atar in a kitchen can mark a Palestinian home. For refugees, it is a physical link to the villages and regions they came from. The plant has been part of Arab cooking since medieval times.

  Since the mid-20th century, Israeli cuisine has also taken it up widely, though Arab communities traditionally harvested it and used it in their bakeries. Some Israeli producers label their products with the words hyssop or holy hyssop. Yet true Hyssopus officinalis does not grow wild in the region, while the common Origanum vulgare does.

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