[Sca-cooks] middle eastern food questions

[Stefan li Rous]

Aoghann asked:
> 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?
Hmmm. O don't think that mix quite matches the ingredient list which 
we've discussed here before but you might want to look at this 
Florilegium file:
za-atar-msg       (17K)  7/31/01    A Middle Eastern spice mixture 
using za-atar
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-CONDIMENTS/za-atar-msg.html
> 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?
Yes, although I believe "jalab" is a general term and could mean any 
one of a number of flavors.
jalabs-msg        (71K)  7/ 3/04    Drinks with a sugar or honey-syrup 
base such
                                        as Sekanjabin (Persian Mint 
Drink).
http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/jalabs-msg.html

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****