Ingredient Spotlight: Sumac

Posted Mar 27th 2008 4:00PM by Emily Matchar
Filed under: Middle East, Condiments, Spices, Ingredient Spotlight

sumac No, not the poison kind. Sumac, the powdered berry of the Rhus Coriaria bush, is a tart spice used in many Middle Eastern dishes. The brick-red powder is perhaps best-known as a major player in za'atar, a mix of sesame seeds, salt, marjoram, thyme, oregano, and other spices used as a meat or fish rub or mixed with olive oil for a bread dip. You can find it in some gourmet markets or Middle Eastern specialty stores.

Tangy sumac makes a nice substitute for lemon juice when sprinkled over fish, vegetables, or hummus. Stir some into thick Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt for a simple veggie or pita dip. I've served a cold salad of sweet potato wedges and diced red onion tossed with chopped mint and sumac alongside Middle Eastern-influenced main dishes like chicken tagine with prunes or lamb kebabs.

Tags: Middle Eastern, Spices, Sumac

Related Headlines

Fresh Herb ID Quiz (22 days ago - 44 Comments)
Food Porn Daily: Tandoori chicken (29 days ago - 1 Comment)
Ingredient Spotlight: Asafoetida (36 days ago - 3 Comments)
Single serving spices (44 days ago - 7 Comments)
Take two teaspoons of turmeric and call me in the morning (55 days ago - 3 Comments)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-27-2008 @ 8:13PM

jackiecat said...

I've long been curious about sumac. Thanks for the post.

3-27-2008 @ 8:28PM

Donna said...

I love sumac and have been using it for years. Wonderful and versatile spice.

3-28-2008 @ 1:26AM

Teddy said...

I have never heard of this! It's amazing, I don't think I'll ever want to stop learning about new ingredients!

Teddy

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Marisa McClellan	94	12
2	Bob Sassone	60	4
3	Shayna Glick	60	0
4	Ellen Slattery	47	11
5	Emily Matchar	34	0
6	Stefani Pollack	32	3
7	Monika Bartyzel	23	0
8	Alanna Kaufman	21	0
9	Sarah J. Gim	17	1
10	Julie Tilsner	11	0
11	Kat Kinsman	5	2
12	Kellye Agreda	3	0
13	Jonathan M. Forester	2	0
14	Wendy Buckley	2	2
15	Joanne Lutynec	2	0
16	Keith Waldbauer	1	0
17	Joe DiStefano	1	0
18	AOL Food Editor	1	0

Blogger

Posts

Cmts

Thank your guests with regionally-inspired wedding favors Ways to reuse paper and gift wrap Eliminating deodorant stains	Nissan will sell an electric car in 2010, too China grows huge food with seeds from outer space Create your own no-frills workout with new tech tool
Communities demand background checks on ice cream truck drivers Image of the Day: Bubble boy Toddler experiences real life "Home Alone" situation	Robbed tourists in Barcelona to get justice via webcam Australian swimmer pokes shark in eye, survives Parents forget baby at airport and fly to destination
Dress of the day: Aria by Matthew Christopher Wednesday wedding wrap-up: May 14, 2008 Destination Wedding: Lake Tahoe	Spy Shots: Next Pagani Zonda packing big engine, bigger intakes VIDEO: God's ringtone is a V10-powered Audi R8 Ford recalling 605,000 full-size trucks