Organic Za'atar

Smith & Truslow Organic Za'atar Seasoning is USDA certified organic, freshly blended in small batches, and third-party tested for heavy metals — delivering the toasty, tangy, herbaceous, and deeply aromatic combination of white sesame seeds, sumac berries, thyme, summer savory, marjoram, and sea salt that makes za'atar one of the most beloved, most culturally significant, and most genuinely addictive spice blends in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and modern global cooking.

Our organic za'atar is a carefully crafted blend of six certified organic ingredients — each one individually sourced and blended in precisely calibrated proportions to deliver the harmonious balance of nutty sesame, tart sumac, and fragrant herb that distinguishes an authentic, well-made za'atar from the flat, unbalanced commercial blends that most Western cooks have encountered. Whether you're mixing za'atar with olive oil and spreading it on warm pita bread, seasoning a roasted chicken with a za'atar and olive oil rub, finishing a bowl of labneh or hummus with a generous dusting, building a za'atar flatbread, seasoning roasted vegetables with Middle Eastern spice complexity, building a za'atar compound butter, flavoring a grilled fish fillet with Levantine character, adding to a fattoush salad, seasoning a morning avocado toast with something genuinely extraordinary, or simply reaching for the blend that has sustained and nurtured communities across the Middle East for thousands of years, Smith & Truslow Organic Za'atar delivers a freshness, balance, and aromatic depth that grocery store za'atar simply cannot match.

What Is Za'atar — and Why Is It One of the World's Great Condiments

Za'atar is simultaneously a specific herb — wild thyme native to the Levant — and the name of the spice blend built around that herb, a duality that reflects how deeply embedded this preparation is in the culinary and cultural identity of the Middle East. The word za'atar in Arabic refers both to the herb itself and to the condiment blend made from it — a testament to the herb's fundamental importance to the flavor of the region. As a spice blend, za'atar is one of the oldest, most culturally significant, and most universally beloved condiments in the Middle Eastern culinary tradition — appearing on breakfast tables across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, and Egypt as reliably as salt and pepper appear on tables in the Western world. It is the blend that is mixed with olive oil and used to dip bread every morning in millions of Middle Eastern households. It is the seasoning rubbed onto flatbreads before baking to create manakish — the za'atar flatbread that is one of the most beloved street foods across the Levant. It is the condiment that is mixed with labneh — the thick, strained yogurt that is a cornerstone of the Levantine breakfast table — to create one of the most satisfying and nutritionally complete breakfast preparations in any culinary tradition. Understanding za'atar as a genuinely ancient, genuinely culturally essential condiment rather than a fashionable specialty ingredient positions it as the extraordinary culinary treasure it truly is.

The Six Ingredients of Smith & Truslow Organic Za'atar — Why Each One Is Essential

Every ingredient in Smith & Truslow Organic Za'atar plays a specific and irreplaceable role in creating the blend's characteristic balance of nutty, tangy, and herbaceous flavor. White sesame seeds are the textural and flavor foundation of the blend — toasty, nutty, slightly sweet seeds that provide both the visual appeal and the warm, rich, slightly fatty character that makes za'atar so satisfying to eat. They also serve as the vehicle that carries olive oil when the blend is mixed for dipping — their porosity and surface area trapping the oil and creating the thick, spreadable paste that is one of za'atar's most beloved preparations. Sumac berries provide the defining tartness of the blend — the bright, citrusy, fruity acidity that balances the richness of the sesame seeds and the earthiness of the herbs, adding the dimension of sourness that prevents za'atar from becoming merely nutty or merely herbal. Thyme provides the primary herb backbone — its warm, earthy, slightly lemony character is the most immediately recognizable aromatic element of the blend and the herb most closely related to the wild za'atar herb of the Levant. Summer savory adds a peppery, robust, slightly resinous herbal depth that complements thyme's warmth and adds a slight complexity and bitterness that prevents the blend from becoming too delicate or too sweet. Marjoram adds the sweet, floral, slightly pine-like delicacy that softens the more assertive herbs and adds an elegant, slightly citrusy counterpoint that rounds the blend into a harmonious whole. Sea salt anchors every element — amplifying the sesame nuttiness, brightening the sumac tartness, and bringing the herb character into vivid focus.

Za'atar and Olive Oil — The Most Important Preparation in Middle Eastern Cooking

The single most important and most universally beloved za'atar preparation is also one of the simplest — mixing za'atar with good quality extra virgin olive oil to create a thick, aromatic, deeply satisfying dipping paste for bread. This preparation — known across the Levant simply as za'atar wa zayt, meaning za'atar and oil — is served at virtually every Middle Eastern breakfast table, offered as a welcome to guests, and eaten with pita, laffa, and flatbreads as one of the most culturally resonant and nutritionally satisfying preparations in any culinary tradition. The ratio is simple — approximately three parts za'atar to one part olive oil, mixed to a thick paste — but the quality of both ingredients determines the result entirely. Great za'atar and great olive oil produce a preparation that is complex, satisfying, and genuinely extraordinary — the sesame nuttiness amplified by the oil's fruitiness, the sumac tartness brightened by the olive's green bitterness, the herbs blooming with aromatic intensity in the fat that carries their essential oils. Mediocre za'atar and mediocre oil produce something merely edible. Smith & Truslow Organic Za'atar is built for the former preparation — a blend calibrated to deliver its best character when mixed with the finest olive oil you can find and spread generously on warm, freshly baked bread.

Za'atar in Modern Cooking — Beyond the Dipping Bowl

While za'atar's most traditional and most beloved application is the morning dipping preparation, its extraordinary flavor profile makes it one of the most versatile and exciting seasoning blends available to the modern home cook willing to explore beyond the traditional. Za'atar rubbed onto chicken before roasting — with olive oil, lemon, and garlic — creates one of the most fragrant, most deeply satisfying roasted chicken preparations imaginable, delivering the herbs and sumac's tartness in a roasted crust that is simultaneously Levantine and universally appealing. Za'atar sprinkled over labneh, labne, or cream cheese with olive oil creates an instant mezze plate that is both beautiful and deeply satisfying. Za'atar mixed into scrambled eggs with feta creates a Middle Eastern-inspired breakfast that is genuinely extraordinary. Za'atar used to season roasted cauliflower, carrots, and root vegetables adds a dimension of tangy herb complexity that transforms simple vegetables into something genuinely exciting. Za'atar sprinkled over avocado toast has become one of the most popular and most shared food presentations on social media — for very good reason. Za'atar mixed into hummus, stirred into yogurt dressings, or used to season grilled fish delivers the kind of cross-cultural flavor discovery that makes cooking genuinely exciting.

Why Our Organic Za'atar Is Different

Most commercial za'atar blends sold in Western markets are made from the lowest-quality commodity herbs and sumac — often using dried thyme that has lost its essential oils, sumac that has been adulterated with citric acid and artificial coloring, and sesame seeds of uncertain provenance grown with synthetic pesticides. Many commercial blends use excessive salt as a primary ingredient or blend za'atar with starch fillers and anticaking agents that dilute the balance of sesame, sumac, and herb that makes authentic za'atar so satisfying. Not ours. Every lot of Smith & Truslow Organic Za'atar starts with certified organic versions of every ingredient in the blend — organic white sesame seeds, organic sumac berries, organic thyme, organic summer savory, organic marjoram, and sea salt — with nothing added. No citric acid. No artificial coloring. No fillers. No anticaking agents. No irradiation. Third-party tested for heavy metals. Pure six-ingredient blend. Authentic Levantine character. Nothing hidden.

How to Use Organic Za'atar

• Mix with extra virgin olive oil and serve with warm pita bread for a classic za'atar wa zayt
• Build manakish — za'atar flatbread — by spreading za'atar and olive oil on dough before baking
• Rub onto whole roasted chicken, chicken thighs, and chicken breasts with olive oil and lemon
• Finish labneh, hummus, and baba ganoush with a generous dusting of za'atar and olive oil
• Season roasted cauliflower, eggplant, and root vegetables with za'atar and olive oil
• Sprinkle over avocado toast with lemon and flaky sea salt for a Middle Eastern-inspired breakfast
• Season grilled fish — branzino, sea bass, and whole roasted fish — with za'atar and olive oil
• Mix into scrambled eggs with feta for a Levantine-inspired breakfast preparation
• Add to fattoush, tabbouleh, and Middle Eastern salad preparations
• Build za'atar compound butter for finishing grilled lamb, chicken, and fish
• Season roasted potatoes and grain bowls with za'atar and olive oil
• Mix into yogurt dressings, labneh spreads, and Middle Eastern dipping sauces
• Sprinkle over soft-boiled eggs, shakshuka, and egg-based preparations
• Season pizza, flatbreads, and savory pastry toppings with za'atar character
• Add to Middle Eastern-inspired pasta, couscous, and grain preparations

Certifications & Testing

• Certified organic by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (USDA NOP)
• Certified gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) — less than 10ppm
• Certified kosher by Earth Kosher
• Third-party tested for heavy metals: lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium
• No fillers, no anticaking agents, no irradiation
• Non-irradiated — steam sterilized only

Available in a 1.7 oz jar (by volume) and refill bag. Free shipping on orders over $85.

Also try our Organic Ground Sumac and Organic Thyme — or browse our full line of USDA certified organic spice blends

Organic Za'atar Spec Sheet