Traditions with za'atar

Za'atar is both a wild herb, a kind of thyme or oregano, and the blend made from it with sesame seeds, sumac and salt. It is eaten across the Levant at breakfast, with olive oil and bread, and baked on flatbread. It is a food of home and of memory for many Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians and Jordanians. Picking wild za'atar has been regulated in some places to protect it. These pages describe the traditions around it.

Where it is used

In Lebanon, manakish za'atar, flatbread baked with the blend and olive oil, is a standard breakfast, taken from a street bakery. In Palestine and Jordan, za'atar is dipped with bread in olive oil, and in Syria it goes with labneh. In Israel, it is also used widely, and in Egypt dukkah is a related mix. In Armenia and Turkey, similar blends accompany bread and cheese.

What it means

Za'atar is a spice of home. Mothers send it to children abroad, and the smell of it baking calls families to the table. It is a symbol of Palestinian identity, and it is also a gift in the Levant, wrapped in paper. In the tradition of some families, children are given za'atar in the morning before an exam, on the belief that it sharpens the mind, which is described here as folk belief.