I have never been in a grocery store that didn’t have sumac. But it never occurred to me to wonder what sumac was until I saw the Sumac Co. The blog has a good explanation of what sumac is and plenty of recipes that use it.
They say, “Sumac is a spice but it is also used as a condiment and as an ingredient in many Middle Eastern dishes.” They also say, “The sumac spice comes from berries that grow on a bush.”
I think one reason I had never wondered about sumac is because I live where the summers are hot and the winters are warm. If you grow up where the summers are hot and the winters are cold, you learn quickly not to ask questions about unfamiliar plants and fruits. Because if you do, someone will tell you that there’s nothing you can do with them until winter comes.
A lot of people ask me what sumac is. There are several kinds, but most of what you’ll find in the grocery store is Rhus coriaria, also known as lacquer tree or Turkish sumac.
These trees grow in a few parts of the world, and they are used to make a spice that is becoming more and more popular.
The spice has been used for thousands of years. It’s a part of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and East Asian cuisine. You can use it to make everything from soups to sauces to desserts.
It makes a great addition to your spice cabinet!
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Rose of Sharon shrub is also known as Althea or Shrub Althea. It is a hardy flowering shrub that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. The plant can grow up to 10 feet tall with a spread of 6 feet or more. It produces flowers that are red to purple in color around midsummer on clusters of stems at the top of the plant.*
Rose of Sharon shrubs do well in full sun to partial shade and thrive in moist, rich soils with high organic content. They are susceptible to several pests and diseases such as aphids, powdery mildew and root rot but can be controlled easily with proper care.*
Parts used: Roots, leaves
Actions: Diuretic*, laxative (mild), astringent*
Principal Uses: Urinary infections; cystitis; gravel; kidney stones; dysuria (painful urination); incontinence; skin and mucous
Like many of you, I am constantly looking for new ingredients to create a vast arsenal of culinary delights. One day while searching the Internet (specifically Food in Jars) I came across sumac. I researched it, and found that it was indeed a spice but also contained a vast amount of nutrition. It is now one of my favorite ingredients!
The sumac plant is an odd looking plant. It has green stems and reddish purple leaves that are prickly to the touch. The flower clusters are white and similar to thistles. The fruit produced from these flowers is the dried reddish purple sumac berry that is commonly found in stores today. Sumac berries can be ground into powder or used whole in recipes such as for pickling or sprinkled on salads or meat dishes.
The flavor of the berry is tart and tangy, with a lot of lemony flavor. It can be used as a replacement for lemon zest or juice in recipes or just sprinkled on top of fish dishes or salads to provide some extra flavor.
Although the flavor is somewhat similar to lemon and lime, it is different enough to make it worth having both in your spice cabinet. It also contains more vitamin C than lemons or limes so it can
It is a common spice with a tart, lemony flavor. It can be used in any dish that you would use lemon juice or vinegar.
Sumac has also been used as medicine to treat coughs, colds, and infections in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean region for thousands of years. The berries are extremely high in vitamin C.
Sumac (also known as sumach) is a flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. The genus has a wide range of species, including the American sumac, Rhus glabra, which is used to produce a crimson dye and has been introduced widely outside its native range. Sumacs grow in subtropical climates; some are evergreen, but most are deciduous. The leaves are alternate, simple, often with a serrated margin, and usually pinnately compound.
The flowers are small, pale greenish-yellow to yellowish-white, in dense spikes 5–30 cm long at the end of branches; each flower is small and short-lived with two sepals and four petals. The fruit is a drupe containing one seed (called a drupelet).
Lime, sumac and lemon are different kinds of trees that have been used for flavoring food. All of them are trees from the genus Rhus. They all have a berry or a fruit that has a sour taste which grows on small trees in dry climates and is made into a powder for cooking.
All three plants have a thick, red skin and are indigenous to Middle Eastern countries. They are all in the same family as poison ivy and poison oak. The leaves of these trees have been dried and ground up for use in cooking food.
The term “sumac” can be used for both the dried powder and the tree itself, which produces the powder. The powder has been used since ancient times to flavor soda breads and other baked goods, meats, fish, vegetables and drinks such as lemonade.
