The thyme trailblazers

ENAR

A heavenly aroma greets you when passing by a bakery; tangy flavors linger on your taste buds long after you have swallowed that last bite. Yes, we are talking about zaatar—the faithful companion of the man’ousheh, a Lebanese breakfast favorite. Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon each have their own versions of zaatar, mixing different herbs and seeds with dried thyme leaves. The Lebanese zaatar mix typically includes dried Lebanese thyme (scientific name Origanum syriacum), sumac, toasted sesame seeds, and salt. This simple staple has been the object of innovation in Lebanon, through the cultivation of the thyme itself or, more recently, through twists to the original recipe. Wild thymes Lebanese thyme is a wild herb found in almost all of the country’s mountainous areas. It is plentiful, as it needs very little water to survive. It is collected mainly by rural families, who dry it and mix it with the other