They say that breads are high in salt, so I thought I could make a better go of it making things myself. A biscuit recipe I made the other day called for a teaspoon of salt, which I realized was 2,325 mg of sodium in the 15 biscuits it yielded – that’s 155mg of sodium per little 1.5 inch biscuit, and babies under one are supposed to have no more than 200mg a day!
Cooking and sharing food with a baby under one has led me to rely heavily on spices as salt-free seasonings. Usually I turn to Indian cooking for this, but there are many more spices and combinations to be found beyond our borders – there’s so much more out there than just meat and potatoes in a broader sense. And “spices” don’t necessarily mean “spicy.” One such spice blend is za’atar. I first came to it in Hong Kong when I was pregnant. We had been eating out 2-3 times a day at fantastic restaurants for three weeks, but at the end of it I was craving something healthy in that crunchy sense. Then we found this super hippy restaurant that served simple flatbreads and, intrigued, I picked one that had za’atar…. then I couldn’t wait to get back home and make flaxseed tortilla shells filled with avocados, tomatoes, hummus and za’atar.
For babies I would add za’atar to homemade bean spreads, tahini, yogurt, eggs, avocados, roasted squashes, and soups. My baby won’t eat veggies plain, but add some flavor with some spices and she’s all over it. You can fry za’atar in oil to deepen the flavor, and then add some more at the end to keep its herbal notes intact. You can even use it for dusting popcorn. Here are some great online recipes to try it out. I’ve bookmarked Ottolenghi’s butternut squash recipe, these olive oil crackers, and I made an adaptation of this sardinian flatbread below. I love these pita shells from Costco because they make great personal sized pizzas or permutations thereof.
Here I’ve covered it in tahini (sesame seed paste, kind of like adult peanut butter and probably great for kids with nut allergies), feta cheese, sprinkled it with za’atar and drizzled it with olive oil and lemon juice before baking.
Like harissa, za’atar differs from country to country. At its most basic I would say it usually has white sesame seeds, sumac (a lemony spice I’ve found at middle eastern shops), dried herbs, and sometimes salt. I think this blogger says it best:
Za’atar the spice blend is a mixture of dried herbs, sesame seeds, and sumac, and often salt, a centuries-old mixture dating back to the 13th century, at least. What those herbs are and how all those ingredients are proportioned vary from culture to culture and family to family. In much of the Middle East, za’atar recipes are closely guarded secrets, and there are also substantial regional variations. In Jordan, the za’atar is particularly heavy on the sumac, so it looks red. Lebanese za’atar may have dried orange zest; Israeli za’atar (adopted from Arab communities much like the American adoption of salsa) often includes dried dill. Unsurprisingly, these variations are a matter of extreme national pride.
World Spice in Seattle sells an Israeli za’atar, which contains
- White Sesame Seed
- Sumac
- Turkish Oregano
- Dill Weed
- Thyme
- Kosher Salt
and they also sell a Syrian za’atar, which contains
- Sumac
- European Coriander Seed
- White Sesame Seed
- Cumin Seed
- Kosher Salt
- Anise Seed
- Lemon Crystal
I bought a premade blend from Central Market that contains
- Marjoram
- Oregano
- Savory
- Sea salt
- Sesame seeds
- Sumac
- Thyme
Here’s my take on some combinations. I’m all about adding salt to taste after cooking if it really needs it, so I would omit it from a homemade blend. Gently crush the toasted sesame seeds if you can with a mortar and pestle.
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 4 Tbsp sumac
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp dill weed
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, baked for ~10 minutes at 300°F
- 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac
or
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 4 Tbsp sumac
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp savory
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 4 Tbsp sumac
- 2 tsp toasted coriander seeds, crushed
- 2 tsp toasted anise seeds, crushed
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 1 Tbsp. sumac
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. toasted white sesame seeds
olive / 67 posts
Thank you for this post! A friend brought back a container of Za’Atar back for me and I didn’t know where to start. I can’t wait to try it on a few things this weekend!
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
My dad’s family is Lebanese, and they use za’atar a lot! So good!
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Interesting! I’ve never heard of this spice, but loved reading about it!
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
Winter is so lucky to have such an adventurous and creative in the kitchen mama. My spice cabinet is so boring compared to yours.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
yum this sounds delicious!!!
grapefruit / 4584 posts
Yum! The restaurant in Hong Kong you mentioned where you discovered Za’atar is one of my favorite lunch spots – it’s so cool to see you mention it here!. I’ve been meaning to try making my own Za’atar since the first yime I ate there.
GOLD / grapefruit / 4555 posts
Very interesting! Thanks for all the different topping suggestions. Will have to try this out.
blogger / pear / 1563 posts
Yummy!
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
interesting! i love all the different foods you’ve introduced us to!