| Revision as of 13:06, 13 March 2008 view sourceTiamut (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers31,614 edits the source says Palestine and not Palestinian territories - the article on Palestine refers to the geographic region and not the Palestinian state as yet to be - thanks← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:35, 13 March 2008 view source Gilabrand (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users72,084 edits remove source that is totally anecdotal and does not back up the text; remove incomplete "diaspora" information; remove statement implying that za'atar grows in these "diasporas"Next edit → | ||
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| Za'atar is generally prepared from dried thyme (''Thymus capitatus''<ref name=Sediemann>{{cite book|title=World Spice Plants|author=Johannes Seidemann|page=365|year=2005|isbn=3540222790}}</ref>, ''Thymus vulgaris'') or hyssop (''Majorana syriaca L.'')<ref name="hyssop">{{cite web|url=http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel%20beyond%20the%20conflict/Hyssop-%20Adding%20Spice%20to%20Life%20in%20the%20Middle%20East|title=Hyssop: Adding Spice to Life in the Middle East|date=1998-07-01|publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs}}</ref> mixed with toasted ], and ]. Some varieties may include ], ], ], ]<ref name=Roberts>{{cite book|title=Margaret Roberts' A-Z Herbs: Identifying Herbs, How to Grow Herbs, the Uses|author=Margaret Roberts|page=83|publisher=Struik|isbn=1868724999|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=YdWEcMjKVBYC&pg=PA83&dq=za%27atar+culinary&lr=&sig=UVjSjUFO16fVH0yHOMDhS9UHet8}}</ref> or ] seed. Red za'atar has ] added to the mix. | Za'atar is generally prepared from dried thyme (''Thymus capitatus''<ref name=Sediemann>{{cite book|title=World Spice Plants|author=Johannes Seidemann|page=365|year=2005|isbn=3540222790}}</ref>, ''Thymus vulgaris'') or hyssop (''Majorana syriaca L.'')<ref name="hyssop">{{cite web|url=http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel%20beyond%20the%20conflict/Hyssop-%20Adding%20Spice%20to%20Life%20in%20the%20Middle%20East|title=Hyssop: Adding Spice to Life in the Middle East|date=1998-07-01|publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs}}</ref> mixed with toasted ], and ]. Some varieties may include ], ], ], ]<ref name=Roberts>{{cite book|title=Margaret Roberts' A-Z Herbs: Identifying Herbs, How to Grow Herbs, the Uses|author=Margaret Roberts|page=83|publisher=Struik|isbn=1868724999|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=YdWEcMjKVBYC&pg=PA83&dq=za%27atar+culinary&lr=&sig=UVjSjUFO16fVH0yHOMDhS9UHet8}}</ref> or ] seed. Red za'atar has ] added to the mix. | ||
| Za'atar is a popular herb in ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], ] and ]. | |||
| Za'atar is cultivated and consumed in ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], ] and ], as well as in the ], ] and ]s. It is eaten for breakfast alongside a cheese made of yogurt with bread throughout the ], but most predominantly in Lebanon, ], and Syria.<ref name=Ray>{{cite book|title=The Migrant's Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-American Households|author=Krishnendu Ray|page=154|year=2004|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=1592130968|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=9zDWJaYSgdAC&pg=PA154&dq=zaatar+history+food&lr=&sig=3bcZE2nj29inm_7tzRDzjfXOx-k}}</ref> | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Za'atar has been used along with other spiced salts as a staple in ] from medieval times to the present.<ref name=Basan>{{cite book|title=Middle Eastern Kitchen|author=Ghillie Basan|page=27|year=2007|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=0781811902|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=-7wnpIi3VRwC&pg=PA27&dq=zaatar+cuisine&lr=&sig=OQ6keMJ92iAzfVLdWohinsy1k3E}}</ref><ref name=Bedigian>{{cite journal|volume=Volume 58, Issue 3|date=September 2004|journal=Economic Botany|pages=pp. 330–353|title=History and Lore of Sesame in Southwest Asia|author=Dorothea Bedigian|url=http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1663%2F0013-0001(2004)058%5B0330%3AHALOSI%5D2.0.CO%3B2&ct=1}}</ref> | Za'atar has been used along with other spiced salts as a staple in ] from medieval times to the present.<ref name=Basan>{{cite book|title=Middle Eastern Kitchen|author=Ghillie Basan|page=27|year=2007|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=0781811902|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=-7wnpIi3VRwC&pg=PA27&dq=zaatar+cuisine&lr=&sig=OQ6keMJ92iAzfVLdWohinsy1k3E}}</ref><ref name=Bedigian>{{cite journal|volume=Volume 58, Issue 3|date=September 2004|journal=Economic Botany|pages=pp. 330–353|title=History and Lore of Sesame in Southwest Asia|author=Dorothea Bedigian|url=http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1663%2F0013-0001(2004)058%5B0330%3AHALOSI%5D2.0.CO%3B2&ct=1}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 19:35, 13 March 2008
Za'atar (Arabic زعتر) (also satar, zahatar) is a mixture of spices originating in the Middle East. The herb used as the main ingredient in the mixture is also called za'atar which can refer to various local herbs such as hyssop, marjoram, oregano and thyme.
Za'atar is generally prepared from dried thyme (Thymus capitatus, Thymus vulgaris) or hyssop (Majorana syriaca L.) mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt. Some varieties may include savory, oregano, cumin, coriander or fennel seed. Red za'atar has sumac added to the mix.
Za'atar is a popular herb in Armenia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Turkey.
History
Za'atar has been used along with other spiced salts as a staple in Arab cuisine from medieval times to the present.
Za'atar is now an integral element in Israeli cuisine". In Israel, the country's wild hyssop was on the verge of extinction due to over-harvesting. It was declared a protected species in 1977.
In the Politics of Food (2004), Lien and Nerlich explain how "Tastes, smells, plants and food are the anchors of memory, invoking a much wider context," noting that for Palestinian refugees, plants serve as signifiers of the house, village, and region from which they hailed. They describe how a Palestinian family, originally from the village of Ein Hod, but who today live in the Galilee town of Tamra in Israel, served them a salad made of za'atar from a plant that they brought from their former village to the family's garden.
Culinary use
Za'atar is used as a seasoning for meats and vegetables. It can be mixed with olive oil to make a spread called za'atar-ul-zayt as a dip for the sesame bread rings known as ka'k. Za'atar can also be spread on a dough base and baked as a bread, in which case it is called manaeesh bi zaatar. It can be sprinkled on labneh (yogurt that has been drained until it becomes a tangy, creamy cheese). Za'atar is often sprinkled on hummus or served with olive oil as a spread or dip. Za'atar can also be mixed with salt, rolled into balls and preserved in oil, or dried in the sun.
Healing properties
In Lebanon, there is a belief that this particular spice mixture makes the mind alert and the body strong. For this reason, children are encouraged to eat a za'atar sandwich for breakfast before an exam.
Maimonides, a medieval rabbi and physician who lived in North Africa and Egypt, prescribed za'atar as an antiseptic, a cure for intestinal parasites, a cold remedy, loss of appetite and flatulence. Rubbing the sides of the head with za'atar oil was believed to reduce headaches.
See also
References
- Aliza Green. "Za'atar". CHOW. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- Johannes Seidemann (2005). World Spice Plants. p. 365. ISBN 3540222790.
- ^ "Hyssop: Adding Spice to Life in the Middle East". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1998-07-01.
- Margaret Roberts. Margaret Roberts' A-Z Herbs: Identifying Herbs, How to Grow Herbs, the Uses. Struik. p. 83. ISBN 1868724999.
- Ghillie Basan (2007). Middle Eastern Kitchen. Hippocrene Books. p. 27. ISBN 0781811902.
- Dorothea Bedigian (September 2004). "History and Lore of Sesame in Southwest Asia". Economic Botany. Volume 58, Issue 3: pp. 330–353.
{{cite journal}}:|pages=has extra text (help);|volume=has extra text (help) - Marianne E. Lien, Brigitte Nerlich (2004). The Politics of Food. Berg Publishers. pp. pp. 148, 149. ISBN 1859738532.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys (2004). Syria & Lebanon. Lonely Planet. p. 68. ISBN 1864503335.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Joan Nathan (November 9 1996). "Diversity in the dining room helps ring in Israel's new year". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Aglaia Kremezi. "Zaatar". Recipe Zaar.
- "The Magic of Zaatar". Exotic Spices Center. Retrieved 2008-03-09.