Sep 9, 20203 min read

The History of Za'atar and Adeena Sussman's Za'atar Chili Feta Bread.

Updated: Sep 19, 2020

What's Up With Za'atar?

Za'atar is Arabic for “herb blend” and is very common in Israeli and Middle Eastern Jewish cuisine. Za’atar used to be from a plant that was called Za’atar. Today, Za’atar is a protected species and Israel has a restricted season for harvesting the plant. "Za'atar" is now a blend of spices as opposed to actual za'atar. The type of Za’atar blend depends on the country, but generally, blends include oregano, marjoram, sumac, and thyme. The variations are not a quality issue, but just a flavor preference for different cultures. Because of the variety of blends, there are also a variety of price points and importance on knowing which brands are real and which are faux. For example, sumac is a crucial ingredient and some brands use fillers such as citric acid or wheat.

In the Torah, za'atar is called eizov which translates to hyssop, a different plant than what hyssop is today. Arab bakeries were the first main shops that used Za’atar. Israeli bakeries started to popularize it and some Israeli companies marketed it as “hyssop.” Eizov had many appearances in the Torah that marked it as an antibacterial, antifungal, and contained antimicrobial properties. The Torah claimed that it could cleanse lepers and could purify people who had come in contact with the dead. The Torah also states that they used sprigs of Eizov during Passover to go along with the streak of lamb’s blood on the front doors.

Hippocrates, in the 5th century BC, used Za’atar to treat common colds. In the 12th century, Maimonides, a Spanish Jewish philosopher, prescribed it to patients for many purposes. The main illness he recommended it for was colds as well. Studies have shown that the flavonoids in sumac and the thymol in thyme and oregano have antioxidant, antiseptic, and fungicide properties. Za’tar was heavily used by Pharaohs and is in lots of ancient Egyptian records. Thymbra spicata, a plant in many ancient za’atar blends, has even been found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Parthian kings also made it into a perfume that was very popular in the first century AD. Studies, with mice, have shown that the carvacrol in za'atar travels from the blood to the brain pretty fast. It has also been found that dopamine and serotonin levels are affected by za’atar.

For Palestinians, za’atar has become a symbol of the household. In Palestine, it is believed that za’atar wakes up the mind and children sometimes take it before a test or eat it at breakfast. Sometimes za’atar is paired with lemon zest or lemon thyme. For breakfast, Israelis put it on pita with some olive oil, or pair it with labneh. It can also be rubbed on fish, chicken, lamb, and vegetables.

Pictured above is my attempt at Adeena Sussman's Za'atar Chili Feta Bread. The dough is 1/3 of her Honey Olive Oil Challah, so it has a sweet and slightly eggy note to it. The filling is a little and tangy and has a bit of spice and spiciness to balance it out. The flavors are not super strong, but are more subtle and delicate. Very aromatic!

The Recipe is in her cookbook Sababa and is sadly not online to the public, but here is a ...