Za'atar (Origanum syriacum) is the wild fragrant herb of the Levant — a grey-green, oregano-thyme-scented plant that gives its name to the famous za'atar spice blend but is itself a distinct living herb, gathered from the sun-baked hills of the eastern Mediterranean and prized for a warm, pungent, thymol-rich aroma that sits between thyme, oregano and marjoram.