[Sca-cooks] middle eastern food questions

[Jenn Strobel]

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 10:04:42 -0800, Susan Fox-Davis
<selene at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:
> 
> > Also sprach 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?

I have found this to be an immensely useful spice mix for many things.
 It is (in some ME cooking) for eating on bread after it has been
mixed with a little olive oil.  I've also been told that it's also
used kind of as the basis for a "pizza" of pita bread spread with
zaater (i've also seen it spelled zattir) with crumbled feta cheese.
heated in the oven.  I can attest that this is quite yummy.

I have also used it in dips, side dishes, and as a nice dry rub for beef.

Fabulous stuff, I *highly* recommend it.

Odriana

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