I can safely say that one of the foods that a Lebanese would miss the most when outside of Lebanon is zaatar; not just any zaatar. Zaatar that was foraged by a relative or friend, dried properly for weeks, ground and mixed with the right amount of sumac and sesame and salt.
Sure, zaatar is available in stores worldwide now; but commercial zaatar is never the same as the one made by trusted hands. For one thing, commercial zaatar contains twigs; artisan zaatar only contains the leaves of the plant. Big difference.
This zaatar is produced in South Lebanon and I had the privilege to meet the man, Abu Kassem, who grows it in his fields. The story is related in a previous post. To my knowledge, his zaatar is not available in stores outside of Lebanon. It has an organic certification and is as close to homemade as you will get.
Just leave a comment on this post and at the end of the month I will draw a number and ship this package of zaatar to the recipient anywhere on planet Earth.
163 Comments
I love zaatar. I fell in love with it when I first visited Lebanon three years ago. Nothing better than manoushi!
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm took me back to my childhood days when I lived in Damascus Syria.. those were the days when you can walk the streets, smell the freshly baked food and ask for your manaoushe hot straight from the stone oven … I miss not having it here in the UK and make my own with the tiny bit of Zaatar I have left
I loooove zaatar since I tried it first time in Palestine! I make zaatar bread with opposite to original proportions- thin crust and thick layer of zaatar.:-) Arabic cuisine is amazing, especially for Russians like me as we don’t use much spices in our food.
I started a family cookbook when my nephew got married to give to his wife for a present. My sister in law, his mother, is Lebanese and she has supplied me with some of her family recipes to include in the book. One of them calls for Za’atar. I live in Nevada USA and they live in New York USA. I would love to get some of this if you are still doing the give away. I really would love to see what that bread tastes like with the proper ingredients.
@kathy: I have already designated a winner for the giveaway; may I suggest checking online (there is a company called buylebanese.com among others), or in a middle-eastern grocery store?
Thank you for having a wonderful website. I found an article about zaatar in the Aramco World magazine. It included an interview of the gentleman you mentioned and a lady who owns a wonderful middle eastern restaurant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where I was born.
Hi there, a few months ago I asked if you would kindly send me some zaatar (I’d pay by Paypal). I think I’ve sorted postal issues out (I’m in KSA). Can we go ahead with this? I’d be very grateful … Regards, Malcolm
I can’t tell you enough how much I love your blog! I check it every day for new recipes and I’ve tried many of them and my family and friends love everything I’ve made! I should also say that my sister who is a novice computer user, loves your blog!
@Souzi: Thanks so much Souzi, you have made my day!
Would you please tell me where/how to buy “zaatar giveaway”.Many thinks.
@dan moisa: I was offering zaatar in that giveaway to whomever would leave a comment on this post, with a deadline and the winner picked at random. I have already picked the winner and sent that person their zaatar. If you’d like zaatar, I suggest you check for purveyors online or find it at your Middle-Eastern grocery shop.
Hi I love zaatar so yummy and healthy could you ship me one . And I have question could you ship me zaatar with pine seed that make at El Shouf Area in Lebanon
@Laila Haddad: Hello, Laila, this was a one-time giveaway; I don’t normally ship zaatar (at least not yet!); for zaatar, I would use any online service (al-rifai, buylebanese.com, etc); I am not affiliated with any of them, but I think they are very reliable. As far as the one with pine seeds, it is a seasonal product and is now no longer available in the Chouf Reserve; I did see it sold at TSC supermarkets, so maybe they have it and may ship it to you. Best of luck.