“Zatoun is Palestine in a bottle”
Fair Trade Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Soap
INTRODUCING! Zest of Za’atar
Discover the taste and be inspired! Za’atar is rapidly acquiring a dedicated following in North America for its fresh herb taste and inspiring zing.
 
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Long a staple of Palestinian cooking and fast food, za’atar is made with wild thyme and sumac picked in the hills of Palestine mixed with roasted sesame seeds and salt. Add za’atar to breads, dips, pizza, salad dressings, soups, meats, vegetables and marinades - virtually anything. Enjoy tastes of Palestine and help men and women working in cooperatives sustain families and economy. Enjoy a quick herb pizza, called “manakeesh” (in Arabic). Mix a tablespoon of Zatoun olive oil and teaspoon of za’atar and spread on pita loaf(s). Place into a toaster oven for 3-4 minutes. Experiment with recipe to liking. New - Recipes (2-page pdf)
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More about Za’atar:
Za’atar, is Arabic for wild thyme and is common to Middle Eastern cooking. It is also spelled za’tar, zaatar, and zahtar.
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Ingredients:
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Rarely sold as a single herb, it is usually packaged as a combination with thyme and sumac. The thyme gives it a elegant perfume and the sumac a slight lemony edge. The flavours work together beautifully. Za’atar often sold in a mix with sesame seeds and salt. Za’atar mixtures vary by country, variously containing paprika, hyssop (an aromatic minty plant), cumin, marjoram, oregano, savory, coriander or fennel seed. The one imported by Zatoun, made in Jenin area is the traditional Palestinian recipe.
Za’atar is served with bread and olive oil. Dip the bread in the oil and then the herb mix; or make a paste of the oil and herbs, brush it over bread or pita and grill for a few minutes. Pita bread already baked with a za’atar topping is available in bakeries. You can also enjoy za’atar sprinkled on ripe tomatoes or dusted over thick Middle East labaneh (a thickened yogurt almost cream cheese) or added to a yogurt-based vegetable dip. Za’atar is a great substitute or alternative to the better known and very pricey French “herbes de provence” in recipes for dishes like roasted chicken or lamb stew.
In their book, 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. Marianne E. Lien, Brigitte Nerlich (2004). The Politics of Food. Berg Publishers, pp. 148, 149
Here is one such personal story of food in Palestine.
Of Zatar, Olive oil, and Mint Tea By Mike Odetalla
I could not wait to get home yesterday. My wife had called me and told me that a package from Palestine had arrived. I relish these “care” packages from my mother and brother in Palestine. They usually send me, amongst other things, pure, cold (more...)
More links:
The Toronto Star, Food section August 15, 2007
From Wikipedia
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'ak. 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. It can also be used to spice meat and vegetables
and can be mixed with salt, rolled into balls and preserved in oil, or
dried in the sun.
To order one or more Zatoun Za'atar Packages, visit order page
