Zahtar 4.0 oz by Zamouri Spices

Za’atar is difficult to get right, as it’s very much a “to taste” herbal blend. I amended this with Sumac and salt, but these cannot make the wild thyme/savory/oregano or whatever they’re using as the base herb taste fresh — even if that herb is a dried herb. Fresh tastes fresh.

Yotam Ottolenghi's cook book "Jerusalem" contains a lot of recipes that call for spices I didn't have in my everyday pantry. Za'atar was one of them. It's a mixture of tangy and nutty, owing to the oregano-like herbs, sumac, and sesame seeds. I use it for marinating meats and veggies, and topping or dressing salads. Combine za'atar with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and you can recreate that fabulous dip that Lebanese Taverna serves with their bread baskets.I store my bag of za'atar in the fridge, because I heard that it keeps longer that way (maybe due to the sesame seeds in the mix?). I do not know if this is necessary or not.

I like the spice, however, I expected it to come in a bottle or jar . It came in a plastic bag and i am not a fan of the plastic bag for my spices. Also, I feel the spices could have a bit more to them, here there are only three ingredients. I will need to add my own Rosemary to it, plus garlic probably. To each his own with spices, but I was looking for a mix that I wouldn't need to add to.

There's a big difference between different spice companies. This one is the best I've found.*****Update 11/2016*****New formula. The package had another company name on it and was different than the last mix from Zamouri. I'll need to try it in my usual recipes, but it's a needless change. The old mix was pretty good.

I ordered this for a recipe thinking it was a spice mix, but when it arrived the package said it was used as a condiment and I have been sprinkling it on everything -- salad soups, sauces -- ever since and loving it.

Use it on many other dishes as well. Try making a flat bread topped with this and olive oil. Add this to sautéed sausage, cheery tomatoes, peppers and garlic. Endless ideas really! Its not really za'tar bc its a different thyme but it gets the job done.

My favorite zahtar! Great on grilled pita, in eggs, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, whatever. Best flavor & freshness & packaged in a zip bag to retain freshness.

......then a single, non-ME diner will ever need in their entire life.The quality is high, and the entire Zamouri spice line is worth working through.We like to drop ME spices into Italian food selectively. Try it!