How to Use Za'atar, from Bread and Oil to Roast Chicken
The simplest way to use za'atar is also the oldest: tear a piece of bread, dip it in olive oil, then dip it in za'atar. It is a breakfast still common across the Levant, and it teaches the whole logic of the blend. Za'atar is dry, aromatic and tart; it needs fat to carry it and something plain to land on. Every other use, from eggs to roast chicken, is a variation on bread and oil.
The herb and the blend
The word does double duty. Za'atar is the name of a wild herb, and it is the name of the seasoning built on that herb. A 2021 review in the journal Plants notes that the name covers several wild and cultivated species in the mint family, in the genera Origanum, Thymbra, Thymus and Satureja, and that the mixture is more correctly called za'atar mix. The herb most associated with the name is Origanum syriacum, a species of oregano that the 2022 review below also calls Lebanese thyme.
The blend starts with those leaves, dried and ground, then adds other ingredients. The same review lists seeds, sesame, sumac berries and salt. A 2022 review of the Lebanese mixture in the Journal of Functional Foods names four plants in it: Origanum syriacum, Thymbra spicata, sumac and sesame. Recipes vary by family and by region; some add ground chickpea or toasted wheat for body, others cumin or coriander.
Burlap & Barrel's za'atar shows one version. It is grown and blended in Palestine, and combines the herb, a wild relative of oregano, with sesame seeds, tangy sumac, a blend of ground chickpea and roasted wheat, salt and other spices. The label lists wheat and sesame among its allergens (shop Burlap & Barrel za'atar).
Why each part is there
The herb brings aroma. The review lists thymol, gamma-terpinene, carvacrol and alpha-pinene as the most common compounds in the herb's oil, and connects carvacrol to the warm, pungent aroma: drying methods that reduce it lose that aroma and flavor. Those compounds are volatile, which is the key to using the blend well.
Sumac brings sourness without liquid, the trick that lets za'atar taste bright on a crisp bread or a fried egg. The guide to using sumac covers it on its own.
Sesame brings richness and crunch, and it toasts in heat, which changes the blend's flavor as it cooks. Raw, unhulled sesame becomes more fragrant once toasted, as Daphnis and Chloe notes of its heirloom Evros seeds (shop Daphnis and Chloe Evros sesame seeds).
Salt ties it together, and it is why a spoonful of za'atar can season a dish by itself. Taste before salting anything finished with it.
Using za'atar by how much heat it sees
Because the herb's aroma is volatile and the sesame toasts, za'atar changes the longer and hotter it cooks. That gives a simple way to sort its uses.
| Heat | What happens | Uses | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| None (raw finish) | Full herbal perfume, sharp sumac, sesame soft | Labneh, hummus, yogurt, salads, sliced tomatoes, avocado toast | Scatter over at the table with olive oil |
| Warm oil | Aroma blooms into the oil and carries further | Bread dip, dressing, drizzle for grilled fish | Stir into warm, not hot, olive oil just before serving |
| Brief bake | Sesame toasts, herb mellows, edges crisp | Flatbread, pita chips, fried or baked eggs | Mix with oil into a paste, spread and bake until the bread is done |
| Roast | Herb turns deeper and earthier; sesame browns | Chicken, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower | Rub on before roasting, then add a fresh pinch at the end |
The pattern to remember is the last column: whenever za'atar goes into a long, hot cook, finish with a fresh pinch so the raw perfume comes back on top of the roasted depth.
The uses, one by one
Bread and oil. Pour a good green olive oil into one dish and za'atar into another. Tear warm bread, dip in oil, then in za'atar. An early-harvest finishing oil, such as Graza's Drizzle, pressed from small green Picual olives in Spain, has the peppery edge that suits it (shop Graza Drizzle olive oil).
Flatbread. Mix about 3 tablespoons of za'atar with 5 tablespoons of olive oil into a loose paste and spread it thinly on rolled-out pizza or flatbread dough. Bake hot until the edges brown. The 2021 review describes this pairing of za'atar with olive oil, spread on a pizza-like pastry called man'ousheh, as a breakfast tradition.
Labneh and yogurt. Spread thick labneh or strained yogurt on a plate, make a well, fill it with olive oil and dust generously with za'atar. Serve with cucumbers, tomatoes and bread.
Eggs. Fry eggs in olive oil and scatter za'atar into the hot oil around them for the last 30 seconds, or sprinkle it over soft scrambled eggs at the table.
Vegetables. Toss potatoes, carrots or cauliflower with oil and za'atar before roasting, then finish with a little more. Raw, it brightens a tomato and cucumber salad dressed with lemon and oil.
Chicken and lamb. Rub chicken thighs or lamb chops with oil, garlic, salt and za'atar, roast or grill, and finish with fresh za'atar and lemon.
Snacks. For a ready-made version, Varah Gourmet coats roasted almonds in a za'atar blend of thyme and oregano, sesame and sumac (shop Varah za'atar almonds). Popcorn tossed with butter and za'atar works the same way.
Building your own blend
A homemade za'atar shows how each part works. Start with 2 tablespoons of a dried oregano-family herb, 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of ground sumac and 1/2 teaspoon of flaky salt, then adjust. Burlap & Barrel's flowering hyssop thyme is a Turkish thyme that the company describes as the primary ingredient in za'atar in Turkey (shop Burlap & Barrel flowering hyssop thyme). Daphnis and Chloe's wild thyme flowers, from Thymus capitatus on Greece's rocky coasts, bring a flowery, slightly piquant note (shop Daphnis and Chloe wild thyme flowers). For the sour, a salt-cured sumac adds tang and seasoning at once (shop Burlap & Barrel cured sumac).
Toast the sesame in a dry pan just until golden and fragrant, cool it, and mix everything by hand rather than grinding, so the sesame stays whole. The guide to toasting spices and blooming them in oil explains the cues.
Keeping it fresh
Za'atar fades like any blend of dried herbs: the green turns dull and the smell goes flat. Keep the jar closed and away from the stove and light, and smell it before using; if the herbal note is gone, replace it. Sesame contains oil, so an old blend can also taste stale. The guide to single-origin spices explains why fresher spices taste so different, and the spices collection and the olive oil collection have the two halves of the breakfast.
Short answers
What does za'atar taste like? Herbal like oregano and thyme, tart from sumac, nutty from sesame, and salty.
Is za'atar the same as thyme? No. Za'atar is a family of herbs and a blend; thyme is one of several plants that can go into it.
Do you cook za'atar or add it at the end? Both work. Add it at the end for the brightest flavor, and when it goes into a long cook, add a fresh pinch at the end as well.
Bread, oil and za'atar is a complete idea in three ingredients, and every other use borrows from it: fat to carry the herb, something plain to land on, and the sense to add the last pinch at the end.
