Origanum syriacum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Genus: | Origanum |
Species: | O. syriacum |
Binomial name | |
Origanum syriacum | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Majorana syriaca(L.) Raf. Contents |
Origanum syriacum; syn. Majorana syriaca (also Origanum maru, although this primarily refers to a hybrid of O. syriacum), [3] bible hyssop, [4] Biblical-hyssop, [1] Lebanese oregano [1] or Syrian oregano, [1] is an aromatic perennial herb in the mint family, Lamiaceae.
It is a preferred primary ingredient in the spice mixture za'atar .
The plant may be called za'atar by association with its use in an herb-spice mixture. In, both, Modern ِArabic and in Classical Arabic the plant is called za'atar , which was formerly used in ceremonial functions, such as for sprinkling the waters of purification on those persons defiled by the dead. [5] [6] In many English translations of the Bible, ezov is rendered as hyssop, hence the common name for bible hyssop, believed to be a different plant generally identified with Hyssopus officinalis . [7]
The problems with identification arise from Jewish oral tradition where it expressly prohibits Greek hyssop, and where the biblical plant is said to have been identical to the Arabic word, zaatar (Origanum syriacum), and which word is not to be associated with other types of ezov that often bear an additional epithet, such as zaatar farsi = Persian-hyssop ( Thymus capitatus ) and zaatar rumi = Roman-hyssop ( Satureja thymbra ) and zaatar mani = calamint ( Calamintha incana ). [8]
Origanum syriacum grows to a height of 1 meter. The plant is pollinated by bees. [4] Flowers are small and white or pale pink. [9]
Origanum syriacum is native to the Middle East. [1] In Egypt, Origanum syriacum subsp. sinaicum is a very rare plant that grows on stony ground in Sinai Peninsula including the coastal Mediterranean strip. [10] Wild hyssop and sage are protected under Israeli law as endangered plants, but no major studies on their status have been conducted since 1977. Foraging for Za’atar is illegal under Israeli law.
Origanum syriacum is harvested in the wild for use in preparing za'atar, a mixture of dried herbs, sesame and sumac for flavoring and garnish. For example, in Lebanon, a typical za'atar blend often consists of dried leaves from Origanum syriacum and Thymbra spicata . This blend is complemented with ground fruits of Rhus coriaria (sumac), toasted sesame seeds, and salt. It is a common practice to mix za'atar with olive oil at home, creating a spread that is then applied to flatbreads called manakish . [11]
In Lebanon, dried organicum is used against gastrointestinal issues such as pharyngitis, stomach aches and cough. [11]
So precious is this herb that in the Levant, native Palestinians will forage and gather it. However, following the implementation of protective laws, those caught collecting wild hyssop can be prosecuted and face large fines. [12] It has recently entered cultivation due to high levels of demand. [13] [ failed verification ]
Marjoram is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marjoram are used to distinguish it from other plants of the genus Origanum. It is also called pot marjoram, although this name is also used for other cultivated species of Origanum.
Oregano is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included in Satureja, but they have all been moved to other genera. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.
Hyssopus (hyssop) is a genus of herbaceous or semi-woody plants in the family Lamiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to central Asia as far east as Mongolia. They are aromatic, with erect branched stems up to 60 cm long covered with fine hairs at the tips. The leaves are narrow oblong, 2–5 cm long. The small blue flowers are borne on the upper part of the branches during summer. By far the best-known species is the herb hyssop, widely cultivated outside its native area in the Mediterranean.
Thymol, C10H14O, is a natural monoterpenoid phenol derivative of p-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol, found in oil of thyme, and extracted from Thymus vulgaris, ajwain, and various other plants as a white crystalline substance of a pleasant aromatic odor and strong antiseptic properties. Thymol also provides the distinctive, strong flavor of the culinary herb thyme, also produced from T. vulgaris. Thymol is only slightly soluble in water at neutral pH, but it is extremely soluble in alcohols and other organic solvents. It is also soluble in strongly alkaline aqueous solutions due to deprotonation of the phenol. Its dissociation constant (pKa) is 10.59±0.10. Thymol absorbs maximum UV radiation at 274 nm.
The Valley of Elah, Ella Valley, or Wadi es-Sunt, is a long, shallow valley in the Shephelah area of Israel, best known from the Hebrew Bible as the place where David defeated Goliath. It is home to several important archaeological sites, including those identified as the ancient towns of Azekah and Socho. Rising up from the valley on its extreme southeast end lies the hilltop ruin Adullam, and on its north lie the ruins of the ancient fortress city of Khirbet Qeiyafa, which is identified with the ancient town of Sha'araim.
Za'atar is a Levantine culinary herb or family of herbs. It is also the name of a spice mixture that includes the herb along with toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, often salt, and other spices. As a family of related Levantine herbs, it contains plants from the genera Origanum (oregano), Calamintha, Thymus, and Satureja (savory) plants. The name za'atar alone most properly applies to Origanum syriacum, considered in biblical scholarship to be the ezov of the Hebrew Bible, often translated as hyssop but distinct from modern Hyssopus officinalis.
Origanum is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. They are native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in scattered locations in North America and other regions.
Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3(CH3)(OH)C3H7, is a monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano.
Ezov is the Classical Hebrew name of a plant mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the context of religious rituals. In some English-language Bibles, the word is transliterated as ezob.
Hyssopus officinalis or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expectorant, it has been used in traditional herbal medicine.
Thymus capitatus is a compact, woody perennial native to Mediterranean Europe and Turkey, more commonly known as conehead thyme, Persian-hyssop and Spanish oregano. It is also known under the name Thymbra capitata.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to herbs and spices:
Origanum onites, the Cretan oregano, Greek oregano, pot marjoram or Ellinikí rίgani in Greek, is a plant species in the genus Origanum found in Sicily, Greece and Turkey. It has similar flavors as common oregano.It has antimicrobial activities.
Origanum libanoticum is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the mountains of Lebanon and Syria.
Mentheae is the largest tribe of plants in the family Lamiaceae. It includes herbs such as sage, hyssop, mint, bee balm and thyme.
Nathan ben Abraham, known also by the epithet President of the Academy in the Land of Israel, was an 11th-century rabbi and exegete of the Mishnah who lived in Ramla, in the Jund Filastin district of the Fatimid Caliphate. He was the author of the first known commentary covering the entire Mishnah.
Nepetoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Lamiaceae.
Satureja thymbra, commonly known as savory of Crete, whorled savory, pink savory, and Roman hyssop, is a perennial-green dwarf shrub of the family Lamiaceae, having strongly scented leaves, native to Libya, southeastern Europe from Sardinia to Turkey; Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The plant is noted for its dark-green leaves which grow on numerous, closely compacted branches, reaching a height of 20–50 cm. The plant bears pink to purple flowers that blossom between March and June.
The wild marjoram (Origanum maru, Ar. zaʻtar) that shoots up with pale-reddish flowers and which I saw in Galilee as well as in Judaea from May until September, but which is also known in the Sinai, belongs to the dry phrygana landscape. Its young, sharp-smelling leaves, which have an astringent taste, are dried, ground with some wheat and mixed with oil; then bread is dipped into this mixture, which is supposed to sharpen one's mind. That is not as significant as the fact that it has to be looked upon as the hyssop of the Passover and the purification rites prescribed by the Law (Ex 12:22; Lev 14:4, 6, 51f.; Ps 51:9). ...The botanical hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis, Ar. zūfa) is out of the question since it is alien to Palestine as to present-day Greece, where occasionally its name is given to the Satureja thymbra (Ar. zaʻtar eḥmar), which is closely related to the wild marjoram.