[Sca-cooks] middle eastern food questions

[Lonnie D. Harvel]

Greetings,

I picked up lunch at a relatively new middle eastern restaurant here in 
Athens, Ga. It is called The Sultan. They have a small grocery 
connected. There were two items that I was curious about and perhaps on 
(or more) of y'all can enlighten me.

There was an herb blend in a bag called "zaater". It contained thyme, 
sumac, and sesame seeds. What would this be used for?

There was a bottle of something labeled "Jallab Syrup".  The information 
was in Arabic, and the owner was busy with other customers so I didn't 
want to bother him. Is this one of the syrups that are used to make 
beverages?

Thanks,
Aoghann