Épices Rœllinger Our Selection | Cultural Spice Blends<Za'atar by Mohammad Elkhaldy

Sprinkle fresh cheese with za’atar. Brighten salads by sprinkling them with za’atar the way you’d add black pepper. Above all else, try a zucchini/courgette cream soup with a splash of lemon juice and a dusting of za’atar.

When I met Mohammad Elkhady, I was moved by the Syrian chef’s abiding love for the cuisine of his home country, a love he expressed with passion. Mohammad currently works as a chef in Paris, and joins me in presenting this Za’atar blend. Like all of our other spices and spice blends, our Za’atar is prepared in our kitchen labs in Cancale.

Za’atar fragrantly evokes the essence of Middle Eastern cuisines. Roasted sesame seeds lend a nutty accent. Sumac, a spice that is traditionally used in Arab cuisines for its lemony flavor, adds an acidic note. Sun-drenched thyme varieties provide robust flavor. Za’atar vary widely and often call for different proportions and types of thyme. The za’atar that Mohammad and I have developed in our kitchen labs in Cancale highlights the acidic notes in the blend which ultimately magnify the other ingredients in a recipe. I also love how dried thyme add a warmth to dishes in general. That warmth gives za’atar a gorgeous, full-bodied taste. The best way to experience it is simply to dip a piece of bread in olive oil and then in za’atar—the way they do for breakfast throughout the Middle East.