I had the good fortune of receiving this magic (...and I guess no longer secret) ingredient from a colleague at work today and couldn't wait to put it good use.
To my surprise, zaatar resembles very much a beloved spice from my childhood in Bulgaria called samardala ( [самардала] in Bulgarian ) - an herb with garlicky flavor called honey garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum ssp. bulgaricum syn. Allium bulgaricum). It turns out Zaatar contains savory - another Bulgarian staple.
From Wikipedia:
Za'atar (Arabic: زعتر, also romanized zaatar, za'tar, zatar, zatr, zahatar, zaktar or satar) related Middle Eastern herbs from the genera Origanum (Oregano),Calamintha (Basil thyme), Thymus vulgaris (Thyme ) and Satureja (Savory).[1] It is also the name for acondiment made from the dried herb(s), mixed together with sesame seeds, and often salt, as well as other spices.[2] Used in Arab cuisine since medieval times, both the herb and spice mixture are popular throughout the Middle East and Levant.
I made a classic Middle Eastern tomato and cucumber salad with Tahini dressing:
Tahini dressing:
- 1 teaspoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon water
- juice of one lemon
- a bit of sea salt
- 1 large clove of minced garlic
Interesting dressing! As always I am looking for new dressings.
ReplyDeleteMarulka, could you, please, ask you colleague where she bought the spice. Was it the International Food Bazaar?
I bought the tahini from Whole Foods and the spice is from International food bazaar.
ReplyDelete