The market · Spices · The Middle East

Sumac

The dried, ground berries of a Middle Eastern shrub — tart and lemony, the colour of brick.

tart · lemony

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangSumac would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilSumac would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaSumac would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos waySumac would cut through its richness
Classics built on it
LevantineFattoushA salad of crisp leaves, tomato, cucumber, radish and herbs with shards of toasted or fried flatbread, in a sharp dressing of lemon and sumac.No one here has made it yetLevantineMusakhanRoast chicken on taboon bread soaked in olive oil and heaped with onions cooked soft with sumac, scattered with pine nuts.No one here has made it yetPersianKabab koobidehMinced lamb and grated onion pressed by hand onto wide, flat skewers and grilled over coals — served on saffron rice with butter and sumac.No one here has made it yet

If you can't find it

Middle Eastern grocers and most supermarkets now.

  1. 1Lemon
    Lemon zest with a pinch of salt
    You lose the fruity, tannic sourness and the colour.

Goes with

onionolive oiltomato

Knowing it

Where to buy
Middle Eastern grocers.
Worth knowing
Rub it into sliced raw onion with a little salt, and the onion softens and turns pink.

Kitchens that keep it in

Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and JordanLevantineThe cooking of the eastern Mediterranean: olive oil, lemon, tahini and herbs, eaten as a spread of small dishes to share.11 classicsIran — the high plateau between the Caspian Sea and the Persian GulfPersianSaffron rice with a golden crust, slow stews made sour with dried lime and pomegranate, and a heap of fresh herbs on every table — sweet, sharp and fragrant at once.10 classicsTurkey — Anatolia and Thrace, between the Black Sea and the MediterraneanTurkishKebabs off the charcoal, yoghurt with nearly everything, vegetables slow-cooked in olive oil and pastry rolled thin as paper — the cooking of Anatolia and the Ottoman table.10 classics

More spices

SpicesAchiote pasteearthy, peppery2 classicsSpicesAjwainthyme-like, sharp, bitter8 classicsSpicesAllspicewarm, sweet-spiced, peppery2 classicsSpicesAsafoetidapungent, sulphurous, garlicky when cooked12 classics