Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Cook's Guide entry for Sumac along with all the Sumac containing recipes presented on this site, with 18 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Sumac recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Sumac as a major wild food ingredient.

Sumac (also called Sumach) is a genus (Rhous) or approximately 250 species of woody shrubs and small trees belonging to the Anacardiaceae (cashew family) that also includes the mango, poison ivy and pistachio. Rhus spp flowers are in dense panicles or spikes 5-30 cm long, each flower very small, creamy white, greenish or red, with five petals these mature form dense clusters of reddish drupes (fruit). The genus is found in subtropical and warm temperate regions throughout the world, with the highest diversity in southern Africa.



The hairy covering of the drupe is harvested and used as a spice (a deep red powder with a sour taste) in some Middle Eastern countries, particularly with rice. Sumac has a tart, slightly fruity aroma and is used in the Middle East as an all-purpose seasoning. It goes well with most fish and seafood as well as rice, lentils and pulses. It can also be sprinkled on salads as a seasoning. Sumac also provides foods with a wonderful deep red colour and it can be used instead of red food colourings in curries.