Sumac

What it is¶

Sumac is the dried fruit of Rhus coriaria, a shrub or small tree of the Mediterranean and western Asia. It bears dense, upright clusters of small, hairy, rust-red berries. These are harvested, dried and coarsely ground into a slightly moist, deep crimson-purple powder. Most of the flavour is in the thin, fleshy coating around a hard seed; good sumac is sieved to remove much of the seed.

Its sourness comes mainly from malic acid, the acid of sour apples, so it gives a fruity, rounded tartness rather than the sharp bite of vinegar. It belongs to the cashew family, whose relatives include mango, pistachio and the pink peppercorn.

Origins and history¶

Sumac has been used as a souring agent around the eastern Mediterranean for a very long time; Greek and Roman writers describe it, and before lemons were widely grown in the region it was one of the main sources of acidity, alongside verjuice and vinegar. Medieval Arab cookbooks include many summaqiyya dishes, meat stews soured with sumac.

The leaves and bark, rich in tannin, were also used for tanning leather and dyeing, and "Sicilian sumac" was a traded tanning material. In North America, native sumacs such as staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina, were used by Indigenous peoples and settlers to make a tart, pink "sumac-ade".

Flavour and aroma¶

Bright, fruity and tart, often compared to lemon, but softer, with a hint of berry and a slight astringency from tannins. It is not aromatic in the way most spices are, so it is used mainly as a seasoning at the end of cooking, like salt or lemon juice, rather than cooked from the start. Heat dulls its colour and brightness.

In the kitchen¶

• Kebabs. In Iran and Turkey, sumac sits on the table beside salt for sprinkling over grilled meat; Persian chelow kabab is traditionally eaten with it. See persian-cuisine and turkish-cuisine.
• Onions. Thinly sliced raw onion tossed with sumac, salt and parsley is the classic Turkish and Levantine accompaniment to kebabs and flatbreads. The acid softens the onion's bite.
• Salads. Fattoush, the Lebanese bread salad, is dressed with sumac; it is excellent on tomato and cucumber salads.
• Za'atar. With dried thyme or wild oregano, toasted sesame and salt, sumac makes za'atar. See middle-eastern-cuisine.
• Chicken. Palestinian musakhan, roast chicken on taboon bread smothered in onions cooked with a great deal of sumac and olive oil.
• Everything else. Hummus, labneh, fried eggs, roast vegetables, grilled fish, rice.

Use it generously: 1–2 tsp over a salad for four, or 1–2 tbsp for musakhan. For a marinade, steep sumac in a little water for 15 minutes and strain; the liquid is intensely sour and red.

Buying and storing¶

Ground sumac keeps its colour and tartness for about a year in an airtight jar away from light. Good sumac is deep, dark red-purple and slightly moist. Many brands add salt, sometimes a lot: check the label and adjust seasoning. Unnaturally bright red sumac may be dyed; very brown, dull sumac is old.

Substitutes¶

Finely grated lemon zest with a pinch of salt is the easiest stand-in; lemon juice gives the tartness but not the colour or texture. amchur (dried mango powder) and ground dried lime also work. anardana (dried pomegranate seed) gives a similar fruity sourness.

Pairs well with¶

Onions, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, thyme, oregano, sesame, Aleppo pepper, urfa-biber, cumin, garlic, olive oil, yogurt, lamb, chicken, fish, eggs, chickpeas, aubergine.

Health and safety¶

Because sumac belongs to the cashew family, people with allergies to cashews or pistachios are sometimes advised to be cautious, although reactions to sumac are uncommon. See spice-allergies.

See also¶

• zaatar
• amchur
• dried lime
• anardana
• middle eastern cuisine
• pink peppercorns