Tosign (ጦስኝ): Ethiopian Thyme

Some herbs belong to one dish; tosign (ጦስኝ) belongs to the whole kitchen. Ethiopian thyme is known for its rich flavor and natural aroma — a versatile herb used for meats, legumes, salad dressings, and most vegetarian dishes — and it leads a busy double life as one of Ethiopia's most beloved teas.

In the pot

Ethiopian dry thyme is the dried, crushed leaf of Thymus vulgaris grown in the highlands, where altitude concentrates its oils into something noticeably more intense than supermarket thyme. It provides a spicy, delightful taste to meat, fish, and soups: rubbed on lamb before roasting, crumbled into lentils, or steeped into the butter for tibs. Anywhere rosemary or oregano would go, tosign goes with more character.

In the cup

Walk into an Ethiopian home on a cold Addis morning and you may be handed tosign shai — thyme tea, sweetened with honey. It is the country's everyday remedy for sore throats, tight chests, and long days, valued for its medicinal attributes for generations. The aroma alone works half the cure.

Using it well

Add dried tosign early in cooking so it can soften and release, or steep a teaspoon in hot water for five minutes with honey and a squeeze of lemon. Try it in shorba (Ethiopian soup), on roasted potatoes, or blended with our other herbs in a marinade.

Find tosign's herbal siblings — koseret, besobela, and more — in our Spices & Pantry collection, and brew a proper pot with Ethiopian Tea Spices.