Sumac Spice - Uses in Middle Eastern Cuisine and Health Benefits
The Spice of the Sumac Berries Can Be Used in Many Different Dishes
If you have no experience with Arabic or Lebanese food, than you probably have not heard of sumac spice, but it worth seeking out in ethnic markets as it can be employed for many culinary uses, and contains a few health benefits as well.
To make sumac spice, the small berries are first harvested, dried and then crushed, but can also be used fresh, mashing them to use the resulting sumac juice to flavor various dishes and sauces.
Often utilized in Arabic, Indian, and Lebanese cuisine as a rub on meats and kebabs, it can also be added to marinades, soups and stews, rice dishes, casseroles, salad dressings, dips, and many other dishes for additional elements of flavor. It can also simply be used on the table as a condiment to replace salt and pepper.
You can purchase sumac spice in a ground form or as whole dried berries in many ethnic markets and grocery stores. It may be much harder to find fresh sumac berries in America, and more common in Middle Eastern territories, where the sumac berries are found in abundance.
A number of recipes using sumac spice can also be found on the internet, such as Sumac Garlic Mayonnaise, a sumac spice blend called Za'atar (also known by other names depending upon the region it is made), and marinades or spice rubs using sumac spice. The recipes for Za'atar vary greatly according to different regions of the Middle East, but most commonly contain sumac spice, thyme, salt, fennel, and other spices and herbs such as cumin and oregano. The combination of many herbs and spices delivers quite a bout of nutritional and medicinal properties and health benefits.
Sumac spice has also been frequently used for medicinal purposes. It's health benefits include promoting healthy digestion, easing upset stomachs, and reducing feverish symptoms. Sumac berries and sumac spice are also said to contain antioxidants and possess antimicrobial properties.
For more information about sumac spice, you can visit this page about sumac, as well as this one at the Epicentre Encyclopedia of Spices
Published by Scott Kessman
Scott Michael Kessman is a freelance writer and also the author of The Tales of Tanglewood YA fantasy series. The novels meld together Irish & Celtic mythology with modern-day folklore, and are enjoyed by al... View profile
- Shish Kebab Café: Middle Eastern Food Houston Style Excellent customer oriented restaurant that provides amazing food and service that rivals some of the more formal or expensive Persion/Middle Eastern dining establishments I have enjoyed throughout the United States.
- Al Noor: Ann Arbor's Finest Middle Eastern FoodHead toward Ypsilanti on Washtenaw, and you'll find a mecca of ethnic restaurants, one of the finest being Al Noor. The Chicken Tawook pita is consistently moist and flavorful, and it comes with a heavenly garlic-yog...
Fat Free Food: Bay State Bakery Middle Eastern Bread ReviewThe fat free Middle Eastern Bread baked by the Bay State Bakery is exactly what pocked bread should be. This fat free bread is also a low-calorie food that can be eaten with a s...- Middle Eastern CustomsPeople on Middle East Travel get to enjoy the splendor of the natural scenery, as well as the dramatic historical sites throughout the countryside. If you are going to be paying a visit to a Middle Eastern Hotel, you...
- Visit the Falafel House in Downtown Santa Cruz, CA for Genuine Middle Eastern CuisineThe Falafel House on Walnut Street in downtown Santa Cruz, CA offers a full spectrum of traditional Middle Eastern and Greek food for a very reasonable price. The quality and flavor of the food at the Falafel House m...
- Foraging: The World of Wild Edible Food
- Different Styles of Middle Eastern Food & Restaurants
- Middle Eastern Restaurants in Milwaukee
- Middle Eastern Dining in Denver
- Hookah Smoking from It's Middle Eastern Roots to It's Collegiate Prominence Today
- The Big Three: Poison Oak, Ivy and Sumac
- Trails and Wonders of Maine Report M01
- Sumac spice comes from berries harvested from a bush that can be found all across the Mediterranean
- Sumac spice figures heavily in Arabic cuisine, as well as many other Middle Eastern countries
- You can purchase sumac spice in a ground form or as whole dried berries
14 Comments
Post a CommentI meant to say spread not spice
I used to live in Africa (Nigeria) and the Lebanese pita bread they made up North in Jos came out hot in the bakery and they had some red spice on it I have been trying to find out what that spice was , (I had forgotten what it was) I think it was Sumac. Is it used on pita bread as a spice. It looks like that it might be that? I loved it.
Tea of sumsc is useful for blocked arteries and bad LDL.
When I lived in Michigan I use to frequent a restaurant called "Shish Kabob". they made a delicious salad dressing with Sumac , lemon olive oil and some other ingredients. I absolutly loved it. Unfortunatly they went out of busineess. I think. I have been craving this dressing for eons. Does anyone have the recipe ? Or have a similar salad dressing recipe. Thanks so so much. Please post
well maybe it's about time to make a change and use the word Arabic as an adjective and it currently is in many things, languages are constantly changing and on the move... what might be right for one English speaker might not be right for another. The problem with English is that it has become narrower,stifled, stricter, that to communicate we would have to use five words for one meaning!!!
Although your article is informative and interesting regarding this underused spice, your recurrent misuse of the word "Arabic" is an all-too-common misunderstanding that must be corrected.
The word "Arabic" refers to the language; it is not an adjective for all things Middle-Eastern. (Dictionary.com makes the distinction very clear, if there is still confusion. Just search for "Arabic.")
I know this is an article about sumac, but that's no reason not to use the correct terminology!
Very interesting read. I went out for lunch today in Princeton, NJ (MAGMA PIZZA), and found the following on the menu:
Kefta Kabbob:
Souvlaki style ground beef with lettuce, red onion & summac on hummus pita.
I thought they surely made a typo.. with the summac...
But, I tried it and liked it..
I am now a Summac spice fan.
thank you
I gotta tell ya.. Excellent.
Interesting! I didn't know there was more than the poisonous variety either.
Bought some sumac yesterday for the first time after having eaten it in a Lebanese restaurant. It is a FABULOUS flavour spice. Just made some tomato courgette soup with it and looks like there wont be any leftovers..! ;)
Love Sumac, and use it in all my salads and home cooking, glad to see if has some good health benefits as well.. thanks for the information.