Discovering Zaatar

At the end of March, a plant grows in Lebanon which is one of the symbols of this small country with its wonderful cuisine: the zaatar. For four months, it is found in the south of the country on all the small hills overlooking the coast. The women pick it and sell it in bunches, sitting on the ground, with sheets on their knees.

Fresh, this zaatar can simply be added as an aromatic plant with the first tomatoes of spring. It can also be kept for a few months in a jar, covered with oil, with a little lemon and salt; it is then added to grilled fish or a veal cutlet.

But the zaatar can also be made into a spice, for a much longer term use. Noha Baz, Franco-Lebanese pediatrician and lover of the cuisine of her country, gives the recipe in her beautiful book Tastes of Lebanonat Mango editions (whose profits go to the association Les P’tits Soleils, which provides free care to children in distress in Lebanon).

“To prepare the condiment, the bunches of green zaatar are dried and hung for several weeks, then the leaves are mixed with toasted sesame, sumac and a little sea salt.”

Noha Baz, pediatrician and lover of Lebanese cuisine

at franceinfo

In Lebanon, there are several varieties of zaatar, with more or less sesame, more or less salt and sumac. Let us add that the dried leaves of this symbolic plant can also be drunk in herbal teas.

Ingredients for two :

2 chicken thighs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 glass of fine semolina, 1 glass of water, 2 tomatoes.

Preperation :

Remove the bones from the chicken thighs. Put the meat in the zaatar and leave to marinate for at least an hour.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. As soon as it becomes a little steaming, throw in the chicken pieces and cook for three to four minutes. Drain them and set aside.

Boil water. Pour it over the semolina in a salad bowl. Cover with a tea towel and wait two to three minutes. Add a little olive oil and fluff the semolina.

Wash the tomatoes and peel them. Crush them in a drizzle of olive oil.

On a plate, serve semolina and tomato purée with the chicken zaatar.