A Harmony Of Flavors Published “The Other Sumac Used as a Spice”

March 6, 2013 - PRLog -- Chris Rawstern, Culinary Advisor for A Harmony of Flavors, published on Yahoo! Voices the article “The Other Sumac used as a Spice”.

This article is part of A Harmony of Flavors mission to publish pertinent articles to help bring people’s attention to important issues or problems and hopefully offer some form of education for them to make the best decisions. This Article describes that you may hear Sumac and immediately think of poison sumac. The spice sumac is not from the same plant as the poison sumac, although they are from the same plant family.  As a matter of fact, the sumac used as a spice grows wild, mainly in the Middle East, so there is no problem with running afoul of the wrong plant, here in the US. The sumac commonly used as a spice in the Middle East is from the plant Rhus coriaria. The poison sumac found in the US is Rhus vernix.  They are from the tropical or subtropical cashew or sumac family of trees, shrubs and vines, all bearing drupes, or fruits with a single stone or seed.  

Sumac bushes grow wild in all the Mediterranean countries, in Sicily and southern Italy and especially the Middle East countries, notably Iran, Lebanon and Turkey. The parts of the plant used are the dried and ground berries which are an essential part of Arabic cooking.  The dried and crushed fruits yield a reddish powder, preferred over lemons for its fruity sourness and astringency.  Sumac can be sprinkled into dishes as they are being cooked, macerated in hot water and mashed to release flavor, or mixed into spice mixtures, most notably the Middle Eastern spice mixture called Zahtar.  The use of sumac in cooking closely parallels the use of tamarind or dried green mango powder in contemporary Indian and Indonesian cuisines. The fresh berries can also be made into a refreshing drink similar to lemonade.  In the US, there is a relative to this sumac, Rhus Glabra, mainly used in the tanning industry, but Native Americans also used the red berries to make a refreshing drink.

While all this is interesting, one may be wondering what to do with this spice, should it be acquired.  An acquaintance made chicken kebabs, by cubing chicken breasts and marinating them for a minimum of a half hour in a mixture of 1/4 cup plain yogurt, the juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper to taste, 2 or 3 smashed cloves of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon dried dill.  She was lamenting that to make this dish as she would have in her home country, she would have added sumac. I replied that I just happened to have some. Not knowing the amounts she would need, I brought her about a quarter cup worth.  She dumped the entire amount into the marinade.  After marinating, she threaded the chicken onto skewers and grilled to desired doneness.  These kebabs were truly excellent in flavor.  

Another use is in the spice blend called Zahtar, Zaatar or Zatar.  As this is a Middle Eastern mixture made with a west Asian species of marjoram generally not available outside the region, the substitution is thyme or oregano, for US cooks.  Ratios vary from recipe to recipe.

Rawstern is an author, teacher, gourmet cook as well as a photographer and graphic artist.  She has taken or created all images appearing on these sites. Her articles have been syndicated nationally.

Her background is Slovakian on her mother's side and Yugoslavian on her father's. Her grandparents came from Europe to the United States to make a better life for themselves and their families. Her ethnic cooking influences began at the cradle. She began her cooking career in Guatemala, in 1970 when she moved there as a 20-year-old newlywed, and set out to learn to cook in a foreign land. This process was complicated by the fact that she could not speak or read the language.

Rawstern loves food, new recipes, and to teach people how to cook from scratch. Her passion is to teach people how to create A Harmony of Flavors when they cook, find joy in baking and help pass along her love of and joy in foods, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy, as she continues her journey in both ethnic cooking and domestic. Her favorite saying in her class is “Life is short – eat dessert first”.

About the Author

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. I love food. I love to cook, and teach people how to cook, from scratch.  I love baking.  I love to create new recipes and try them.  I hope to inspire you to follow me!

I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of collecting favored recipes of your own.  Visit me at my Web site (http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/) my Blog or Marketplace (http://www.a-harmony-of-flavors-marketplace.com/).  Email me at chris@aharmonyofflavors.com.