What Is Sumac? And How to Use It for Cooking

Sumac is the key weapon in your spice cupboard: it has the ability to carry unbelievable acidity to your meals with out including further liquid. It’s not bitter like lemon zest or astringent like vinegar, however considerably fruity and floral with out being noticeably candy. Chances are high, should you’ve had Center Japanese or Mediterranean dishes like kebab or something dusted with za’atar, you’ve tasted sumac’s fantastic tartness. It’s additionally a spice that goes effectively with absolutely anything, which is why a lot of the world makes use of it. However for all of its reputation, sumac nonetheless hasn’t discovered a spot within the common American’s spice arsenal — which is why there’s no higher time to provide it a more in-depth look.

What’s sumac?

Should you seek for sumac on the web, your outcomes will in all probability churn out pictures of shrubs and bunches of fuzzy berries. These fruits, that are the edible portion of the plant, are roughly the scale of a pea and develop in dense, bright-red clusters on the finish of the plant’s branches. (There are additionally sumac vegetation that bear white berries, however this type of sumac is toxic, and needs to be prevented in any respect prices. Extra on that later.)

Sumac berries develop on deciduous shrubs and timber within the Rhus genus of the Anacardiaceae family, making them distant cousins to cashews and mangoes. These trees are identified for his or her pinnate leaves, vertical clusters of crimson berries, and white or inexperienced flowers. Deciduous sumac species additionally change colours with the seasons and are available in shades of orange, crimson, and purple when fall rolls round. These vegetation grow in temperate and subtropical climates and might be discovered within the Mediterranean, Africa, Asia, and throughout North America. And whereas the Rhus genus consists of over 150 species, the 2 mostly consumed variations right this moment are Rhus coriaria and Rhus typhina.

Rhus coriaria (often known as Sicilian sumac, Iranian sumac, and Syrian sumac, relying on who you ask) is the variation that originated within the Mediterranean basin earlier than spreading throughout southern Europe and the Center East. It will possibly attain as much as 10 toes in height and is principally grown for its edible berries, that are dried and floor to provide powdered sumac.

Rhus coriaria and Rhus typhina are two of a number of edible sorts of sumac present in North America. Rhus glabra, Rhus aromatica, and Rhus copallinum might be discovered from southern Canada to components of northern Mexico, every with their very own distinct characteristics. Rhus glabra and copallinum, referred to as “clean sumac” and “shining sumac,” respectively, lack the identical fuzzy coating as Rhus typhina. As an alternative, these variations produce hairless fruits and twigs and have been used to create sumac-ade for hundreds of years. The younger sprouts of Rhus glabra timber are additionally edible and have been traditionally eaten in “salads” by American Indian communities.

Rhus aromatica, or “aromatic sumac,” is the rarest of the three North American varieties. Identified for releasing a robust lemon scent when its leaves and twigs are bruised, its tart berries are additionally generally used to create drinks and have been a typical source of dye and tobacco flavoring for the Cheyenne individuals.

The place does sumac come from?

Sumac’s historical past is commonly disputed — some insist it originated in Sicily, whereas others contend it originated in Syria or Iran.

“I feel people have been consuming sumac berries for so long as we’ve been on this planet,” says Ethan Frisch, the co-founder and co-owner of the spice firm Burlap & Barrel. That mentioned, he provides, “I don’t assume it’s potential to isolate a single origin of sumac.” As an alternative, he theorizes that it “started rising everywhere in the jap Mediterranean across the similar time.”

Its identify additionally has some combined origins, with potential sources being the Previous French phrase sumac, the Arabic phrase summaq, and the Syriac phrase summaaqa, all of which interprets to “darkish crimson.” Along with being descriptive, these names paint an image of simply how far this ingredient has traveled all through historical past because of migration, commerce, and cultural mixing. And although not everybody would possibly agree on precisely the place it got here from, it definitely has stood the take a look at of time.

In historic Greek and Roman societies, sumac was used for dying wool, tanning leather-based, treating indigestion, and, in fact, including acidity to meals. Its culinary makes use of ultimately unfold all through Europe earlier than lemons have been imported from the Center East within the second century. By the fifteenth century, Europeans started to broadly domesticate the lemon and put it to use as a essential supply of acid of their food regimen, inflicting sumac to fall out of favor. Nonetheless, it continued to play a significant function within the meals of the Center East.

What does sumac style like?

The flavour of sumac might be likened to the tang of fresh-squeezed lemon juice; it’s tart and sharp, but in addition accommodates a touch of sweetness, together with lingering floral notes.

“It’s a delicate tang with some fruitiness that you just wouldn’t get from lemon juice,” says food blogger Amina Al-Saigh. “I additionally love its pink shade. It simply makes meals look superb.”

“Sumac is barely smokey and fairly earthy as effectively,” says Sami Tamimi, the co-owner of London’s Ottolenghi and co-author of three best-selling cookbooks. “You may style it once you add it to dishes as a result of it’s so astringent.”

Sophia Pappas

What’s sumac used for?

Sumac berries can be utilized both entire or floor right into a spice. The ingredient’s prevalence in Center Japanese and Mediterranean cooking illustrates how versatile it truly is.

Within the Mediterranean, sumac berries are historically dried and floor right into a powder for seasoning or garnishing quite a lot of dishes. “Sometimes the entire sumac berry is crushed throughout processing,” explains Burlap & Barrel’s Frisch. “You may take away the sumac berry’s fruit from the pit, nevertheless it’s very labor intensive and needs to be executed one after the other. There hasn’t been a technique to mechanize it but, so normally each the fruit and pit get crushed collectively in business processing.”

In his work as a chef, Tamimi says, “sumac is used to tenderize meat” because of an enzyme it accommodates that “helps make meat juicier and softer.” Utilizing sumac to season barbecue can be a typical observe throughout the Center East, together with in Al-Saigh’s native Iraq.

“You’ll all the time discover it on grilled meat, like kebab, grilled hen, or lamb. The acidity of sumac cuts by means of the heavy richness of meat, balances the flavors, and offers it a pleasant distinction,” says Al-Saigh. “I exploit it each day for a number of [foods], like salads and dressings. Iraqi delicacies, to me, actually values tanginess. That’s the factor we do — bringing that candy and bitter observe by means of sumac or pomegranate molasses and tamarind. We actually amp the tanginess of our dishes.”

With its capacity to boost flavors, sumac spice may also be used so as to add tartness to each candy and savory dairy-based dishes. “It’s scrumptious on dairies like labneh and cheese, and I additionally put it on ricotta with a bit little bit of olive oil. I find it irresistible on ice cream as effectively. Its taste is so tart, however gentle sufficient you could add it to sweets like condensed milk or vanilla ice cream,” says Tamimi.

Entire, dried berries even have their makes use of. They can be utilized to season meals, resembling sumagiyya, a Palestinian stew, and after they’re crushed and soaked they will create candy, refreshing drinks. When he was rising up in East Jerusalem, says Tamimi, “I bear in mind certainly one of my aunties in Hebron had a number of [sumac] shrubs, and he or she used to choose their berries and barely crush them. She’d make a drink from them by soaking them to make a barely candy drink.”

Crushed and soaked berries may also be used for a tart broth for stewing dishes, resembling Iraqi dolma, a stuffed vegetable dish. “Dolma is a dish that varies throughout the area, however the Iraqi model have to be tremendous tangy. As an alternative of lemon juice, we use water flavored from soaked sumac,” says Al-Saigh. “You may crush and soak the berries or stir the powder into boiling water and pressure it after.”

In North America, the place sumac species advanced independently from their Mediterranean counterparts, sumac can be used to create tart drinks. They’re usually made with Rhus typhina, often known as staghorn sumac, which will get its nickname from the crimson hairs overlaying its fruits and branches, much like the velvet overlaying a deer’s antlers. Staghorn sumac’s reddish-purple berries style much like these of Rhus coriaria. Traditionally, American Indians used staghorn sumac in a wide range of methods, brewing the berries to create a beverage referred to as sumac-ade, and smoking or mashing the leaves to formulate numerous medicinal treatments for sore throats, diarrhea, and fevers.

“Sumac berries are fairly arduous, so you should dry them to take away the pores and skin,” notes Tamimi. “It’s not like a ‘fruit berry’; it’s extra like a black-pepper berry.” So should you come throughout an edible sumac shrub or occur to have one in your yard, you’ll have to tenderize its berries first earlier than utilizing them in your kitchen.

Talking of discovering sumac within the wild, what’s this about poison sumac?

Whereas this dangerous species shares the same identify to edible sumac, it’s a really totally different plant. Whereas it resembles Rhus copallinum with its shiny leaves, it grows white berries as a substitute of crimson. Like poison ivy and poison oak, poison sumac may cause contact dermatitis should you brush up towards it, with signs like itchiness, redness, and burning showing on the pores and skin inside a number of hours. Because of this it’s necessary to concentrate to the colour of the berries; in the event that they’re white, bear in mind to steer clear.

The place can I purchase sumac?

Floor sumac is obtainable within the spice aisle of most American grocery shops or at your native Center Japanese and Southeast Asian markets. Discovering dried sumac berries just isn’t as widespread in the USA, however they are often ordered on-line or present in specialty markets.

What if I wish to develop my very own sumac?

You positive can, however ensure you plant the species that provides what you’re on the lookout for. Other than double-checking that you just’re not rising poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), select a deciduous sumac species to expertise its fantastic fruits and a wonderful change of shade in the course of the fall season.

Sumac is best to develop from cuttings, so seek for a wild plant close by or purchase cuttings at your native nursery. These timber generally seem alongside highways and on the perimeters of huge fields throughout North America, so discovering a sumac tree shouldn’t be not possible. Should you determine to develop your sumac from some seeds, observe that they’ve a tough coating that takes years to interrupt down, even within the wild.

General, sumac timber are very sturdy and have a comparatively excessive tolerance to numerous circumstances. Though they sometimes thrive in full solar and well-drained soil, they will simply adapt to their environment so long as they’ve ample area to develop. That’s the reason sumac timber are normally not beneficial for anybody with a small backyard. As soon as it’s given the space it want, count on your sumac plant to develop quickly, and ensure you hold observe of latest colonies. These timber have a popularity of turning into invasive species when allowed to unfold freely.

If a lot of the world eats sumac, then why isn’t it a staple over right here?

Sumac might be present in American grocery shops, so its lack of mainstream reputation is probably going because of an absence of shopper consciousness. However, says Al-Saigh, “I feel sumac is certainly beginning to develop into extra in style, in the identical method we witnessed extra consciousness for issues like za’atar. With social media, extra Center Japanese bloggers on the market and even Western bloggers discovering Center Japanese meals, I see much more consciousness of it.”

“Play with it,” Tamimi advises. “It’s an ingredient you should utilize in so some ways. Apply it to fish, dairy dishes, dips, or use it to tenderize your meat. It’s a disgrace to not use it.”

Should you’re occupied with taking part in with this glorious spice however don’t know fairly the place to start out, beneath are some recipes that may level you in the suitable path.

Sami Tamimi’s Chicken Musakhan

Naz Deravian’s Mahi ba Somagh

Melissa Hamilton & Christopher Hirsheimer’s Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

Yumna Jawad’s Lebanese Fattoush Salad

Amina Al-Saigh’s Sumac Chicken and Onion

Sara Leana Ahmand’s Iraqi Dolma

Yasmin Khan’s Adana Kebabs

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Sumac-Roasted Strawberries with Yogurt Cream

Nik Sharma’s Sumac & Saffron Refresher

Sylvio Martins is a contract author and actor based mostly in Los Angeles.
Sophia Pappas is a Pittsburgh-based illustrator.