Za'atar is two things with the same name. ย It is a wild Levantine herb of the oregano family, and it is the spice blend prepared from that herb blended with toasted sesame seeds, tart red sumac and salt. The mixture is what you find on a menu: earthy, nutty, slightly sour, and often combined with olive oil and baked on flatbread. It is neither Turkish but Levantine and Arab in origin, and moderate rather than spicy.
The Green Stuff on the Bread
It's likely that you've already eaten it. The flatbread is served warm before the rest of the food comes. It has olive oil on it and something dark green and sesame-colored on it.
People who really like that stuff wouldn't be able to tell you what's in it.
Sometimes people get confused because the word can mean two different things at the same time. This can happen to even people who cook with it all the time. That needs to be cleared up first, because everything else builds on it.
Za'atar Is a Plant and a Blend
This plant grows wild in the Levant, on hillsides in Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and those countries. In botany, it generally refers to Origanum syriacum, a plant that is related to oregano and marjoram. However, depending on where you are, it can also refer to other plants that are related.
The dried herb, sesame, sumac, and salt are all mixed together to make the blend.
On a store shelf, "za'atar" means the mix. People in Lebanon use the word "Za'atar" to refer to the plant. They are both right, which is why the next question comes up so often.
What Is the English Name for Za'atar?
There isn't one, not properly.
This question gets asked constantly and every answer is a compromise. The three you will see:
- Syrian oregano. The most botanically accurate for Origanum syriacum. Almost nobody uses it in conversation.
- Wild thyme. Common but loose, and it points at a different plant genus.
- Hyssop, or biblical hyssop. Used in some older translations and religious texts. Botanically contested and mostly historical.
The honest answer is that za'atar is a Levantine herb with no clean English equivalent, in the same way that there is no good English word for pul biber or for kaymak. The Arabic name is the name.
For the blend, English speakers just say za'atar. That has become the standard, and it is the right approach.
What Is Za'atar Seasoning Made Of?
Four components, and the proportions are where the regional argument lives.
| Component | What it contributes |
|---|---|
| Dried za'atar herb | The earthy, oregano-like backbone. Cheaper blends swap in plain dried thyme or oregano. |
| Toasted sesame seeds | Nuttiness, texture, and the visible flecks |
| Sumac | The sourness and the reddish tint. Ground dried berries, tart like lemon without the liquid. |
| Salt | Seasoning. In a good blend, a small amount. In a bad one, the first ingredient. |
Some blends add more: cumin, coriander seed, dried mint, caraway, aniseed, or ground nuts. Those are regional signatures rather than deviations.
Sumac is the one to know. It is what makes za'atar taste sour, and it is why the blend cuts through olive oil and fatty cheese so well. Without sumac you have herby sesame. With it, you have za'atar.
Regional Versions, and Why Yours Might Taste Different
There is no single recipe, and people have opinions.
| Region | Typical character |
|---|---|
| Lebanese | Heavier on sumac, so redder and noticeably tangier. Often the most sesame-forward. |
| Palestinian | Herb-dominant and greener, often with caraway. Traditionally the least adulterated. |
| Syrian / Aleppo | Frequently includes cumin, aniseed or ground nuts. More complex, more aromatic. |
| Jordanian | Similar to Palestinian, sometimes with a coarser grind |
If you have had za'atar in two places and thought they tasted like different products, you were right.
Is Za'atar Turkish?
No, za'atar is Levantine and Arab, and it is used in food from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan, not Turkey.
It's important to be clear because our kitchen is Turkish and Lebanese and it would be easy to mix the two. Turkish food uses a lot of kekik, which is dried oregano and thyme. It also uses sumac and sesame on their own. But the "za'atar" that people mean is a mix of herbs, sumac, and sesame seeds from the Arab Levant.
We serve it not because it is Turkish but because we also cook Lebanese food.
What Does Za'atar Taste Like?
At first, it tastes earthy, then nutty, then sour, with a depth of flavour below.
The dried herb gives you something close to oregano but softer and less medicinal. Toasted sesame adds a warm nuttiness that rounds it off. Sumac comes in last. It's sharp and lemony, and it makes everything better.
It's not hot. There is no heat or chilli, and nothing that will surprise anyone. It smells good and tastes sour, which is a completely different axis.
For over a thousand years, people have put salt and olive oil on bread together because the oil brings out the taste and softens the salt.
Is Za'atar Healthy?
Reasonably, yes, and more so than most things you put on bread. But the honest version has caveats and the internet mostly skips them.
What is actually in there:
- Sesame seeds bring unsaturated fat, some protein, and are one of the better plant sources of calcium.
- Thyme and oregano-family herbs contain thymol and carvacrol, the aromatic compounds responsible for their smell, which have been studied for antioxidant properties.
- Sumac is unusually high in antioxidant compounds for a spice, and has been studied in that context.
- Almost no calories. As a seasoning, a teaspoon contributes very little.
The caveats, which matter more than the benefits:
- Salt. This is the real variable. Some commercial blends are salt-first, and if you are eating za'atar daily that adds up faster than any of the benefits.
- What it arrives on. Za'atar on bread with olive oil is a very different proposition from za'atar sprinkled on roasted vegetables. The seasoning is not the calories. The bread and oil are.
- Nobody has shown that a teaspoon of a spice blend does anything dramatic to your health. The ingredients are good ingredients. That is a reasonable claim. Anything stronger is marketing.
Can I Eat Za'atar Every Day?
Yes. It is a herb, seed and spice blend, and across the Levant plenty of people do eat it daily, usually at breakfast.
The two things to watch are the salt content of your particular blend, and whatever it is riding on. Neither is a reason not to.
What Does Za'atar Do to Your Body?
The sesame adds calcium and healthy fat, and the herbs and sumac add antioxidant compounds, but only in small amounts. It is a good thing to have in your cooking, not as a supplement.
There is also a piece of Levantine folklore that is worth knowing. In Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan, children are traditionally fed za'atar bread before school, especially before tests, because it is said to sharpen the mind. There is no evidence for this, but it is a nice tradition, and many adults from the area still associate the smell with the morning of a test.
How to Tell Good Za'atar From Bad
The section nobody writes, and the one that will change what you buy.
Za'atar is easy to adulterate, because dried herb is expensive and filler is not. Cheap blends get bulked with wheat flour, breadcrumbs, or plain dried thyme dust, and some use citric acid instead of real sumac.
Four checks:
- Look at the colour. Good za'atar is green and red-brown. Dusty grey-brown means old herb or a lot of filler.
- Read the first ingredient. It should be the herb. If salt or wheat is listed first, the jar is mostly salt or wheat.
- Smell it. It should hit you immediately, oregano-forward and sharp. If you have to lean in, it is stale. Ground herbs fade within months.
- Feel it. It should be leafy and slightly coarse with visible whole sesame seeds. Fine, sandy and uniform usually means filler.
Store it airtight, dark and cool, and use it within about six months. The sesame is the part that goes rancid first.
What Can I Use Instead of Za'atar?
There is no single substitute, because no one ingredient does all three jobs. But you can get close with three.
| Instead of | Use | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The whole blend | Dried oregano + toasted sesame + sumac, roughly 2:1:1, with a pinch of salt | The closest approximation, and genuinely good |
| Sumac, if you have none | A little lemon zest | Adds the sourness, loses the depth. Do not use lemon juice; the moisture ruins it. |
| The herb, if you have no oregano | Dried thyme, or thyme and marjoram together | Slightly sharper. Works. |
| Everything, in a hurry | Dried oregano and sesame alone | Missing the tang, so it will taste flat. Better than nothing. |
What does not work: Italian seasoning, herbes de Provence, or anything containing rosemary. Rosemary is assertive in a way za'atar never is and it will take over.
What Do People Eat Za'atar With?
Bread first, and it is not close.
- Manakish, the Levantine flatbread with za'atar and olive oil baked onto it, is the flagship. It is breakfast across Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, sold from bakeries from early morning.
- Labneh, strained yogurt, with olive oil and za'atar over the top. Possibly the best two-minute dish in the region.
- On eggs, fried or scrambled, at the very end.
- On hummus and other dips, with the olive oil.
- On roasted vegetables, especially cauliflower and potatoes, thrown on after they come out of the oven.
- On grilled chicken or lamb, rubbed on before cooking or scattered after.
- On halloumi, grilled, with lemon.
- In dressing, whisked into olive oil and lemon for a salad.
The rule: za'atar wants fat and it wants to go on late. Heat kills the aroma, so add it at the end unless it is going on bread with oil.
Where to Eat Za'atar Bread on Arab Street
At Anatolia the za'atar bread is baked in our own kitchen at 58 Arab Street through the day, not bought in pre-made, which is the difference between bread that arrives warm and bread that arrives reheated.
Two versions:
- Za'atar flatbread, brushed with olive oil and topped with the za'atar blend, sesame and sumac
- Mini za'atar breads, the same thing in a smaller, snackable form. Better for a table that is sharing several things.
Order it early and let it come out with the mezze rather than alongside the mains. Warm za'atar bread with a bowl of hummus or ezme is the way most Levantine meals start, and it works the same way here.
Made with 100% halal ingredients, like everything on our menu. Full list on the bread menu, and book a table if you are bringing a group.
Related reading:
- What Is Mezze? A Beginner's Table Guide
- Lebanese Food in Singapore: The Dishes Worth Hunting Down
- Turkish Food Culture: 27 Dishes You Must Know
Frequently Asked Questions
What is za'atar made of?
Dried za'atar herb, toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac and salt. Some regional blends add cumin, coriander, caraway, aniseed, dried mint or ground nuts.
What is the English name for za'atar?
There is no clean English name. The plant is usually Origanum syriacum, sometimes called Syrian oregano, wild thyme, or biblical hyssop, but none of those is a precise translation. For the blend, English speakers say za'atar.
Is za'atar healthy or not?
Reasonably. Sesame provides calcium and unsaturated fat, and the herbs and sumac contain antioxidant compounds. The two caveats are salt content, which varies enormously between blends, and whatever the za'atar is served on.
Can I eat za'atar every day?
Yes. It is a herb, seed and spice blend and it is eaten daily across the Levant, usually at breakfast. Check the salt content of your blend and watch the bread and oil rather than the seasoning.
Is za'atar spicy?
No. It is earthy, nutty and tangy, with no chilli and no heat.
What is the closest thing to za'atar?
Dried oregano, toasted sesame and sumac mixed roughly 2:1:1 with a pinch of salt. Without sumac, a little lemon zest supplies the sourness but not the depth.
Is za'atar Turkish?
No. It is Levantine and Arab, belonging to Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Jordanian cooking. Turkish cuisine uses oregano and thyme, called kekik, but not this specific blend.
What is the red powder in za'atar?
Sumac, made from ground dried berries. It is what makes za'atar tangy and gives it a reddish tint. It tastes lemony without adding liquid.
How do you know if za'atar is good quality?
It should be green and red-brown rather than grey, smell strongly of oregano the moment you open it, list the herb as the first ingredient rather than salt or wheat, and feel leafy with visible whole sesame seeds instead of fine and sandy.
How long does za'atar last?
About six months stored airtight, dark and cool. The sesame goes rancid before anything else does.
What do you eat za'atar with?
Flatbread with olive oil above all, especially manakish. Also labneh, eggs, hummus, roasted vegetables, grilled meats, halloumi, and whisked into salad dressing.
Final Thoughts
Za'atar is a herb native to the Levant, and the blend formed around it: herb, toasted sesame, sumac, salt. And it's the sumac that makes it tart. Sesame adds a nutty flavour to it. Cheap salt is the cheap jar's cheapness.
It is not Turkish. It is not spicy. It has no English name worth mentioning.
Get the green one that has a scent. Put on bread with olive oil. And thatโs all you really need to know.
See the bread menu or book a table at 58 Arab Street.
