Za’atar, tahini, harissa, baba ghanouj and makali: five words from our menu
Five words come up on our menu that people look up rather than ask about, and one of them is a dish almost nobody outside a Jordanian kitchen has met. Here is what each one is, what it tastes like, and where it turns up in the food.
What is za’atar?
Za’atar is two things at once, and that is most of the confusion about it. It is a wild herb that grows across the Levant, in the same family as thyme and oregano, and it is also the name of the spice blend made from that herb: dried za’atar leaf, toasted sesame seed, sumac and salt, in proportions that change from one household to the next.
It tastes green and slightly sour, the sourness coming from the sumac, with the sesame doing the rounding off. The everyday way to eat it is mixed into olive oil and spread on flatbread, which is breakfast in a lot of the region.
On our menu: the Zaatar sandwich, EUR 6.75 whole or EUR 3.50 half. A za’atar and olive oil spread on warm pita, with tomato, cucumber, fresh mint and pomegranate molasses. It is the lightest sandwich we make and it is vegan as it is served.
What is tahini?
Tahini is sesame seeds ground to a paste, and that is the entire ingredient list. The seeds are hulled and toasted first, then ground until the oil comes out of them and the whole thing turns into something the consistency of a loose nut butter. In Dutch you will see it written tahin, which is the same thing.
On its own it is bitter and thick. What it is for is loosening with lemon juice, garlic and cold water, at which point it goes pale, pourable and completely different, and that is the sauce that ends up on most of the food here.
On our menu: it is in more places than any other single ingredient. It is what makes hummus hummus, along with the chickpeas. It is the lemon tahini dressing on the sandwiches, the dipping sauce that comes with the makali, the tahini through the baba ghanouj, and the yoghurt tahini dressing on the bowls. There is also a plain Tahini Sauce as a side at EUR 0.75, and a Tomato and Tahini Salad at EUR 3.50.
A note if you eat vegan. Tahini itself is a sesame paste and nothing else. What sometimes has dairy in it is a yoghurt tahini dressing, which is a different thing, and on our menu those dishes carry the outlined leaf and a swap.
What is harissa?
Harissa is a chilli paste. Red peppers and chillies, garlic, olive oil, and usually caraway, cumin and coriander seed. It is North African in origin, Tunisian above all, and it has travelled across the whole southern Mediterranean and into Levantine kitchens like ours.
It is hot, but the heat is not the point of it. What harissa mostly brings is a deep roasted-pepper flavour with the chilli sitting behind it, which is why it works stirred into things rather than only dolloped on top.
On our menu: Harissa is on the sides list at EUR 0.75 if you want it on the table. It is blended through the Spicy Hummus at EUR 8.00, it is in the filling of the Spinach Rolls, and it is one of the free add-ons on the sandwiches, so you can have it in a wrap without ordering it separately.
What is baba ghanouj?
Baba ghanouj is a dip made from aubergine. The aubergine is roasted or charred until the inside collapses, then blended with tahini, garlic and lemon juice. You will see it spelled baba ganoush, baba ghanoush and half a dozen other ways, and they are all the same dish.
It is often described as smoky hummus and it is not that. Hummus is chickpeas and tahini. Baba ghanouj is aubergine and tahini, and the flavour comes from what the fire does to the aubergine rather than from a spice.
On our menu: Baba Ghanouj, EUR 7.75. Roasted aubergine blended with tahini, garlic and lemon juice, topped with pomegranate molasses, radishes, mint and a drizzle of olive oil, served with warm pita. It is vegan as it is served, and it is also in the Gathering Box.
What is makali?
Makali is fried vegetables, and it is the one on this list you will not find in a dictionary of Middle Eastern food, because the word is doing local work. The name comes from the Arabic for frying. In practice, at this counter, it means aubergine, courgette, cauliflower and potato, fried and served with a tahini dipping sauce.
It is a dish customers mention by name in their reviews. It is also the thing to order if you are eating with somebody who says they do not like aubergine.
On our menu: two ways. The Makali sandwich, EUR 7.50 whole or EUR 3.75 half, is fried cauliflower, aubergine and courgette with a hummus spread on warm pita, with lemon tahini dressing, pomegranate molasses and pickles. The Makali side is EUR 5.50 and is the mix of fried aubergine, courgette, cauliflower and potatoes with the tahini dip. Both are vegan as they are served. There is also a Makali Mix you can add to a bowl or a platter for EUR 3.00.
Allergens
The allergen line for each dish sits on the dish itself on the menu page, straight off our own kitchen’s allergen list. Our kitchen handles all of the allergens listed there. Equipment and utensils are shared between dishes, so we cannot guarantee that any dish is completely free of an allergen, even when an ingredient is left out on request. Please tell our staff about any allergy before you order, and they will check the specific dish with the kitchen.
Where to try all five
Nabäti Eatery is on Keizerstraat 168 in Rotterdam Centrum, about five minutes from Rotterdam Blaak. Opening hours are Monday to Thursday 12:00 to 20:00, Friday 12:00 to 19:00, Saturday 12:00 to 21:00 and Sunday 11:00 to 19:00.
The easiest way to meet four of the five in one sitting is a sharing platter, and if you would rather just ask, the counter will happily tell you what any word on the board means.
Frequently asked questions
What is za’atar made of?
Dried za’atar leaf, which is a wild Levantine herb related to thyme and oregano, with toasted sesame seed, sumac and salt. The proportions change from household to household.
Is tahini the same as tahin?
Yes. Tahin is the Dutch spelling of the same ingredient: sesame seeds toasted and ground to a paste.
How hot is harissa?
It is a chilli paste, so it is hot, but what it mostly brings is roasted red pepper with the heat behind it rather than in front. On our sandwiches it is a free add-on, so you can try it without committing to a whole side of it.
What is the difference between hummus and baba ghanouj?
Hummus is chickpeas blended with tahini. Baba ghanouj is roasted aubergine blended with tahini. They share the tahini and nothing else.
What is makali?
Fried vegetables: aubergine, courgette, cauliflower and potato, served with a tahini dipping sauce. It is on our menu as a sandwich and as a side.
Is any of this vegan?
The Zaatar sandwich, the Baba Ghanouj, and both makali dishes are vegan as they are served. Our kitchen is vegetarian and every dish on the menu can be made vegan, and the menu marks each dish so you can see which is which before you order.
