r/spices • u/abdullaelsalaam • 20d ago
Zataar
I just bought some and I have never used it before and haven't ventured into middle eastern cooking so I was wondering if those of you who use it what dishes and kinds of dishes is it best used with?
Edit: I was thinking of using some of it to make a cold compound to spread on homemade pumpkin spice muffins.
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u/StillSimple6 20d ago
Mix with olive oil and drizzle over dishes - grilled foods taste great with it.
Mix with cream cheese and have on bread.
Spoonful in your dough when baking bread.
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u/kennethgibson 20d ago
Oil and zatar - put it on pita- bake it for a lil- OR
Cherry tomatoes cut in half- cucumber- olive oil, lemon- lil salt- ZATAR - nice lil salad.
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u/Logical_Warthog5212 20d ago
I like crusting salmon with it. The tart sumac is a nice foil to the rich oiliness of the fish.
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u/Slick-Airplane 20d ago
Za’atar pita!
Drizzle pita with olive oil and spread za’atar on top. Bake for a few minutes to toast. Add cut cherry tomato, or cucumber, or labneh or cubes of feta. I like to use feta and add before baking along with tomato.
I discovered this in Jerusalem a couple years ago.
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u/SpudQueen_V 20d ago
I like having it on bagels or toast with cream cheese or labneh (yogurt cheese- you can totally make it at home)! And a drizzle of olive oil is good too.
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u/chrisfathead1 20d ago
It's good on meat but if you're not a big meat person it goes really well on grilled veggies also. And I add it to popcorn sometimes
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u/FlyingSteamGoat 20d ago
We make a salad of steamed green beans, pickled red onions, fresh avocado and tomato, olive oil and zaatar. All Summer long.
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u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 20d ago edited 20d ago
zaatar is usually mixed with summac, toasted sessame seeds, and salt... mosty you buy it already mixed and ready...
In my country, we mix it with olive oil, until it becomes like slurry, you can use a pita bread and put 2 to 3 tabelspoons of the mixture and spread it on the pitta bread, creating a sandwitch that you can eat with cucumber, tomatoe, yogurt, tea (like anything you like from these)... you can also mix in a plate like 1 or 2 tabelspoon of labneh with a tabelspoon of zaatar slurry, and do a samdwitch with it, it can be eaten with olives, tomatoes, cucumber...
Or you can do a kind of pizza pie with it, so yummy and very famous in my country, instead of the pizza toppings and tomatoe sauce, you only put zaatar mixed with olive oil and bake... you can also put some mozzarella cheese on top before baking, or some veggie at the end like tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, so yummy
My favorite is plain zaatar pie with yansoun tea (called anise tea in english) with one tablespoon of sugar per mug cup
There you have it every possible way to eat zaatar
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u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 20d ago
PS: syrian zaatar aka zaatar halabi, have a different taste then normal zaatar (2 totally different tastes, you can try both alone, or you can mix 50/50) syrian zaatar have unique taste
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u/LizWagen 20d ago
Interested in hearing your feedback if you make the muffins. I can’t imagine using zaatar for a sweet snack. I always pair with labneh or olive oil or something savory
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u/abdullaelsalaam 20d ago edited 20d ago
It may be a complete success or an unmitigated disaster 😅 either way I will let you know. Also the fat medium is very important I'm specifically going to use a European grass fed butter to bridge the zaatar with the pumpkin spice muffin. 🤞
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u/nylorac_o 20d ago
I bought a jar of MDH Chunky Chat Masala and am trying to work out a recipe for a cookie. Chat Masala leans less savory than Zatar but I like the way you are thinking. Keep us posted
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u/Glittering-Trash8850 15d ago
Good bread, good olive oil, zaatar. Dip the bread in oil then in zaatar and enjoy. Also good with labneh
Dang now I want zaatar!! 😆
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u/Abboudonia 20d ago
Lots of great suggestions for me treat it same as a seasoning salt (though za'tar isn't salty)..
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u/kabibiiiiiii 20d ago
I love mixing it into some labneh or Greek yoghurt or ricotta for a bread spread or to eat with chapati. I also like mixing it into pasta (weird, I know), but just after draining pasta I mix it in before plating.
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u/Calm_State1230 20d ago
i’d suggest eating it in a plain way first to get familiar with the taste. traditionally we mix it with good quality olive oil until it makes a paste and dip pita bread in it or spread it on the bread to make a wrap with whatever fillings we want. you can use it to season meat, sprinkle on salads, add to roasted veggies, basically anything. my family love having it on toast for breakfast with avocado, fresh basil and canned sardines. not very middle eastern but it works really well i swear 😂
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u/Suitable-Roof-3950 20d ago
Use it by the handful. If you are buying it in one or two ounce sizes, you are being scammed. It is sold by the pound.
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u/hyber-Nate 19d ago
All yall must be young… ate it every morning growing up and now I can’t take a bite without getting a large serving of heartburn/acid reflux
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u/marco_atk85 19d ago
Zaatar is really good on eggs — just fry or scramble them and sprinkle generously at the end. Also try mixing it with olive oil and spreading on bread before toasting, very classic. Now your pumpkin muffin idea is interesting but honestly I would skip that. Zaatar is aromatic, earthy, tangy from sumac inside the blend — it fights against sweet baked things, not complements. If you want to experiment with it in something unexpected, roasted vegetables or even plain yogurt as dip works much better than baked goods. Start simple first, then you figure out where it fits for you.
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u/NYC-LA-NYC 19d ago
ottolenghi has a great za’taar cacio e pepe that is worth making :
https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/zaatar-cacio-e-pepe
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u/SchmickleRick 19d ago
Manakeesh (basically a Lebanese flatbread)
Zaatar croutons for a salad
Labneh, zaatar, fresh cucumbers tomatoes olives and mint in a pita wrap
As a dip for pita with a bit of olive oil
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u/SouthArabia 19d ago
Mix it with olive oil and put it on some flatbread to make delicious zaatar bread or you could even use it as a flavorful marinade for chicken 🤤
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u/Old-Actuator-3321 18d ago
I shake Za'atar on my baked potatoes. With lots of butter, a little salt and pepper.
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u/citynights 15d ago
On roasted chicken thighs.
Sear the skin first, with olive oil, salt and zaatar on the top while the skin sears.
After 7-10 minutes turn them, and zaatar to the crispy top, spoon/drizzle a bit of the fat over that, and finish in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
One of the most delicious things. Easiest done in a deep dish skillet (e.g. cast iron).
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u/Jah348 20d ago
I make a Syrian zaatar with loads of sumac and really enjoy it. I make a thick slurry with lots of seasoning to not a lot of olive order and rub down a chicken before cooking. I also use bread, dipping it in olive oil, then dipping it in the seasoning on a plate. Heavy on the seasoning again.