Sumac is a spice that everyone should try. Sumac seasoning use in cooking For salad sumac seasoning use for what

Eastern countries are famous for using a variety of spices in cooking. One of them is a spice called sumac (also called sumac). It does not have a distinct odor, but attracts with its bright burgundy color and pleasant sourness, which is why it is sometimes used as a substitute for lemon and to add rich color to meat, vegetable and fish dishes.

The spice is produced from the dried red berries of a plant of the same name, growing in the Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern countries. The shrub can be found in the Caucasus and Crimea. The plant received its second name - vinegar tree - due to the sourness inherent in the fruits. The berries ripen towards the end of September. On one plant their number can be about 5000 pieces.

Biologists know about 250 varieties of shrubs. Some of them are used as ornamental plants that decorate alleys. Not all varieties of sumac are suitable for food. Many bushes are dangerous to life - they contain poison in high concentrations. So much so that even touching the foliage can cause a burn on the skin.

The content of the article:
1. History of spice

History of spice

The name of the spice comes from the Aramaic summaq, translated as dark red. The history of the use and consumption of spices began many centuries ago in the countries of Iran and Syria.

In ancient Greece and Rome, cooks acidified food with this spice until lemons appeared. Scientists found a documentary mention of the plant in the writings on herbalism by Dioscorides, a Greek doctor. He described the beneficial properties of the fruit, especially highlighting the diuretic effect of the berries.

North American peoples brewed beer drinks from sumac berries growing in their territories. Europeans also used vinegar tree.

The composition of sumac fruits includes a large number of trace elements, amino acids, minerals and vitamins that have a positive effect on the body. Most of all in berries is:

• B vitamins and ascorbic acid;
• fatty acids: linolenic, oleic, stearic, palmitic;
• 18 amino acids, the list of which includes lysine, tryptophan, leucine, threonine;
• minerals: potassium, zinc, magnesium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, manganese, calcium;
• fumaric, citric, tartaric and malic organic acids.

Sumac benefits and contraindications

Sumac became widespread not only for its bright color and sour taste. One of the distinctive properties of berries is the ability to increase the shelf life of dishes in hot conditions. It is difficult to overestimate the health benefits of spice. The rich mineral and vitamin composition allows the spice to be used both in cooking and for the prevention of diseases.

There are a number of contraindications to the use of red seasoning. It is necessary to refuse it in case of diseases:

• gastritis (especially in acute form) and stomach ulcers;
• for carbohydrate metabolism disorders;
• with thrombophlebitis and a predisposition to the formation of blood clots.

During pregnancy and lactation, it is better to limit the consumption of sumac. You should also not put a lot of spice in children's dishes, but it is better to refrain from adding it at all.

In rare cases, sumac can cause allergic reactions. If this happens, you should stop consuming the spice.

Sumac seasoning - use in cooking

In the East, sumac is one of the 5 leading seasonings. This is a universal spice. It is used in canning and in preparing a variety of dishes.

• Turks and Iranians sprinkle ground berries on rice; in Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian recipes, sumac berries are brewed, and the broth is used as a sauce for meat and vegetable dishes.
• Sumac goes well with salads, meat, vegetable and fish dishes.
• Seasoning is often added to marinades and sauces.
• Pairs with cereal dishes and bean dishes.
• A popular oriental dish - hummus (chickpea puree) combines harmoniously with spices, giving it a piquant flavor.
• An original sauce for grilled meat made from kefir and yogurt and seasoned with sumac.
• Pork chops and lamb cutlets, seasoned with spices combined with pepper and cumin, get a pleasant kick.
• Shish kebab or just pieces of pita bread can be dipped in spice mixed with plain water until mushy.
• Shawarma and lula kebab will not be so tasty if you do not add onion rings, cilantro and a generous handful of red spice to them.
• The spice is included in some sausages; it is used as an ingredient for cheeses, minced meat and various fillings. The seasoning is found in some drinks and dessert dishes.
• Pilaf, boiled potatoes and soups made from legumes (mainly beans) acquire an unusual taste if you add burgundy spice to them.

The advantage of the spice is its harmonious combination with many spices - sesame, hot pepper, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, cumin and other spices.

Those who like to experiment with taste can try using sumac as a seasoning for smoked lard.

What can't you combine sumac with?

Due to the tannins contained in the spice, sumac is widely used in canning. However, when choosing it as a component for twisting, it is worth knowing that there are fruits and berries with which sumac cannot be combined. These include:

• black currant;
• quince;
• persimmon;
• blueberry;
• thorn;
• pear;
• dogwood.

The rolling can be spoiled by the astringency provided by the tannins from the spice; it is possible that the acidity of the final product may increase. In addition, the appearance of the workpiece may deteriorate - the consistency will become unpleasantly viscous.

Coffee and tea are also not compatible with sumac. Therefore, dishes that include spice are poured with plain water or fruit juice (juices are excluded from the list of inappropriate fruits).

Sumac should not be placed in dishes that involve the use of vinegar, lemon or other citrus fruits. The acidity that the spice gives will completely ruin the dish. You can replace these products with sumac if desired.

Where to buy sumac?

It is almost impossible to purchase fresh sumac berries in Russia. But you can find ground sumac berries in markets and supermarkets. However, the best place to buy will be oriental spice shops, where the risk of purchasing a counterfeit or low-quality seasoning will be minimal.

How to choose seasoning?

The spice is odorless, so you need to choose it without relying on your sense of smell. An indicator of freshness and suitability for consumption is the color of the seasoning. The brighter it is, the fresher the spice. Ideally, ground sumac should have a deep cherry hue. If the color is faded, this means that the service life is ending.

How to store sumac

Sumac is stored in a hermetically sealed container, away from direct sunlight. Ceramic cookware is considered the best choice for preserving spices for a long period of time. Shelf life is one year.

Original recipe for roast lamb with sumac and pepper

The secret ingredient – ​​sumac – will add an unusual taste and bright color to the lamb dish. The dish has a warming effect. The following products are used for preparation:

• 600 g lamb meat;
• 6 large bell peppers (you can take multi-colored ones);
• 6 potatoes;
• 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 2 onions;
• salt, black pepper and ground sumac to preference.

How to cook:

1. Wash the lamb, cut into small pieces of any shape, place in a pre-prepared and heated frying pan. Pour in 200 ml (faceted glass) of water, cover with a lid and simmer at medium temperature until cooked.
2. Peel the onion and finely chop into cubes.
3. Prepare sweet bell peppers - wash, core, remove seeds and chop into strips.
4. Peel the potato tubers and cut into medium-sized slices.
5. As soon as the water in the frying pan with the lamb has evaporated, you can “assemble” the roast. Add vegetable oil, chopped onion, sweet pepper to the meat, season with pepper and table salt.
6. Fry the ingredients in a frying pan for 10 minutes, stirring the contents occasionally.
7. Place the chopped potatoes in a frying pan with the rest of the ingredients, add salt again and fry until the vegetable is ready. This takes approximately 15 minutes, depending on the size of the potato pieces.
8. At the end of cooking, add sumac to the roast. Leave for 10-15 minutes.

A simple and quick (half an hour to prepare) Turkish salad recipe will win the hearts of lovers of oriental cuisine. For 8 servings you will need the following ingredients:

• 7 medium potatoes, boiled in their jackets;
• 5 chicken eggs, hard-boiled;
• 4 small onions;
• 3 tsp sumac spices;
• 1 tsp each ground red pepper and table salt;
• 10 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

How to cook:

1. Wash the potatoes, boil them in their skins, let them cool, then peel them and cut them into large cubes.
2. Cool the boiled eggs and remove the skins. Chop into small cubes.
3. Peel the onion and chop finely. Only fresh onions are used in the salad; they should not be doused with boiling water or soaked in vinegar.
4. Place the chopped ingredients in a deep salad bowl, add the main spice - sumac, add pepper and salt, season with odorless sunflower oil.
5. Mix well and leave to soak for 15 minutes.

(Rhus coriaria) of the pistachio family (Anacardiaceae) is a ruby ​​spice that replaces lemon.

Use of sumac spice in cooking
The spice sumac is a sour spice widely used in Muslim and Jewish cuisines. Sumac successfully replaces lemon and vinegar and gives dishes a ruby ​​tint.
The sumac spice is widely used for salads, meat and fish dishes, and goes well with legumes, poultry, vegetables, and cereals.
Sumac is excellent for pickling, stewing, creating sauces, dressings, and is used for canning.
The sumac spice is good for preparing kebab, shish kebab, barbecue - the meat is first sprinkled with the spice or soaked in a marinade with sumac. Yogurt and sumac sauce is ideal for grilled dishes.

Sumac can be added to cheeses, sausages, minced meats and fillings.
Sumac is great in pilaf.
Sumac is also used in desserts and drinks.
Sumac goes well with other spices - black and hot pepper, sesame, oregano, thyme, cumin, cumin, cloves, fennel, coriander, nutmeg... Part of the za'atar spice mixture
Sumac can be simply added to dishes, or you can first boil and strain the syrup.
The spice sumac is ruby ​​powder, almost odorless, sour, slightly astringent in taste. In the regions where it grows, sumac can be found in the form of fresh or dried berries. It is recommended to store sumac spice in a dark place in an airtight ceramic container. The loss of ruby ​​color in sumac indicates the expiration date.

Medicinal uses of sumac spice
The spice sumac contains a large amount of acids and vitamins, tannins.
In medicine, sumac is used as an antioxidant, helping the body get rid of toxins and harmful substances. Sumac relieves inflammation and helps in the treatment of burns. The spice sumac has a wonderful effect on the digestive system. Medicines using sumac help with diabetes.

Description of sumac spice
The spice sumac (Rhus coriaria) of the pistachio family (Anacardiaceae) is the ruby ​​berries of a small shrub (up to 3 m in height) native to Central Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Caucasus. Sumac reproduces by seeds and root shoots. The bark of the plant is brownish, the leaves are alternate with pairs of opposite oblong gray-green leaves (reach 20 cm in length).
Sumac bears fruit profusely; up to 500 fruits are collected from one plant - pubescent ruby-colored berries up to 8 mm in diameter.
The sumac spice is used as a spice that adds sourness to dishes, helping to keep food suitable in hot countries, and is widely used in medicine, as well as a dye, tannin and additive in tobacco mixtures.
In total, there are up to 250 species of sumac growing in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.
Sumaqa is translated from Aramaic as red, and the species name coriarius is from the Latin tanner.
The sumac spice contains tannins and acids such as malic, citric, tartaric, as well as succinic, maleic, fumaric, and ascorbic. Sumy spice contains volatile oils (less than 1%), which contain aldehydes and terpenoids, as well as fatty oils (up to 15%). The ruby ​​color is due to anthocyanin pigments.

History of the spice sumac
The spice sumac has long been known and used in the Far and Middle East, Central Asia and the Mediterranean as a spice, medicine, dye and tannin for leather.

Recipes with sumac spice
Paste for fire eaters

Stories with sumac spice

Sumac is a seasoning that is widely used in the East, but is little known and used illiterately in our country. They are even more often confused with barberry and cumin, but in vain. Sumac is a spice that can be successfully added to marinades for meat, grilled vegetables, various dressings and sauces. It adds sourness, a cherry tint and a unique aroma.

Guest from the East

The sumac genus is widespread in the Mediterranean region. Wild sumac can be seen on dry rocky mountain slopes in the Crimea and the Caucasus. Many of the sumacs are very decorative; they decorate alleys and parks in southern countries. But some are very poisonous and can cause burns, allergies and food poisoning. So sumac (the seasoning reaches the markets after minor processing) must be collected very carefully, preferably by trusted people. Don't buy it in random places. The best choice is a spice store.

Properties of sumac

This seasoning is very rich in tannins (plant compounds with tanning and disinfecting properties) and specific acids. Thanks to them, sumac berries have an astringent taste. These properties of dried berries determine their use as a seasoning. Their main task is to give dishes a sour taste, that is, sumac as a seasoning is used not as pepper, but as lemon juice or vinegar, so it is often confused with barberry. It, like sumac (a seasoning with similar properties), is used to acidify dishes, for example, pilaf.

How sumac is prepared

In the Arab East they do this in a very ancient way. The berries are poured with water, boiled until thick and wiped. Similar to the processing method. Sumac berries are used to make a syrup in which meat and fish are marinated and added to stews of meat and vegetables. In Iran and Turkey, a powder is made from it, which gives ready-made dishes a bright color.

Use in dishes

Sumac (a seasoning used in freshly ground form) is used to sprinkle hot or cold dishes before serving them. This not only adds a pleasant sourness, but also decorates the dishes - after all, the spice looks like bright ruby ​​chips. It goes well, for example, with hummus, highlighting its slightly bland taste. Mix sumac with onions to create a popular snack. It is also included in a variety of ready-made seasoning mixtures. For example, together with pepper and cumin, it is suitable for legume soups and for frying meat, and in combination with cumin - for smoked pork or lamb. You can dip unleavened pita bread in sumac juice. By mixing the spice with yogurt, you can season salads with this mixture. The same composition can be used to marinate meat. on black bread with sumac - a very original combination.

Sumy is most often exported to Russia from Turkey. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the color of the seasoning - the more intense the red color of the powder, the better quality it is. This spice has virtually no aroma, but if stored in an open container, it easily becomes discolored. It is easy to distinguish it from barberry - the sourness of the latter has a more fruity tint.

05.09.2018

Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that is increasingly appearing in recipes and menus in other countries due to its growing popularity. If you've ever dined at a Middle Eastern restaurant, you may have noticed the dark red seasoning added to everything from salad to meat to baklava. Find out everything about what sumac is, what it is made of, its benefits and how this spice is used in cooking.

What is sumac?

Sumac (sumac) is a red spice in the form of a coarse powder with a bright, tart, slightly astringent lemony, almost vinegary taste.

Sumac is a widely used seasoning in Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. It is sprinkled on rice or mixed with onions and eaten as a snack. Sumac gives dishes a bright red color. Street vendors often prepare the famous Turkish lula kebab with it.

Sumac is versatile, and chefs use it for everything from salad dressings and appetizers to desserts like ice cream and puddings. In Middle Eastern restaurants, it is even displayed on the table like salt and pepper, so that eaters can season their food to their liking.

In Jordan, the local spice blend za'atar (za'atar) contains sumac combined with sesame, thyme and other spices.

What sumac looks like - photo

general description

This plant belongs to the genus Sumac (Rhus), the Anacardiaceae family, and grows in temperate and subtropical zones. It can be found throughout the Mediterranean areas, especially Sicily and southern Italy, as well as parts of the Middle East, especially Iran. It also grows in North America, southern Russia, as well as in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Sumac is a shrub with complex pinnate leaves and berry clusters that are located in dense thorns at the ends of the branches. Greens produce milky or resinous juice.

The plant produces piquant, reddish-purple, small (10 mm in diameter), round, hairy berries.

The name "Sumac" comes from the Arabic word Summaq, which means "Red".

There are several types of this shrub. Rhus coriaria – Tanning sumac – is commonly used as a spice in Middle Eastern cooking.

Its North American varieties, such as Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and Fluffy sumac (Rhus typhina), are also edible.

How and from what is sumac seasoning obtained?

Sumac fruits are small red berries, also called beans, that are dried and ground into a coarse powder to make a spice. They come in a variety of shades, from brick red to deep purple, depending on where the shrub is grown.

The fruits are picked just before they ripen, then left in the sun to dry.

Before drying, whole berries are soaked in water and then squeezed to extract the juice.

The result is a purple powder that has an astringent, sour taste.

What does sumac smell and taste like?

The taste of sumac is tart, fruity, sour, similar to citrus fruits, although more balanced and softer than lemon juice.

In the West, sumac is considered an excellent herb that can provide acidity without the use of vinegar in salad dressings and marinades.

It has almost no smell.

How to choose and where to buy sumac seasoning

Sumac is always sold in Middle Eastern markets and is slowly appearing in grocery stores around the world.

This spice can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets, or can be ordered online from an online store.

Fresh, high-quality sumac has a deep, rich hue.

How and how long to store sumac

Chemical composition

• Sumac is rich in vitamins A and C (from its fruits and seeds).
• It is rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium.
• Sumac is sour mainly due to the presence of organic acids - citric, malic and tartaric.
• To some extent, the astringent taste of this seasoning is due to the presence of tannin.

Useful properties of sumac

Sumac has an impressive list of health benefits due to the compounds it contains.

Sumac berries contain tannins, which are also found in grapes and cranberries. Tannins are polyphenols and are considered anti-carcinogenic.

This spice has found use in medicine and has long been used for medicinal purposes, and modern research has revealed the main health benefits of sumac.

• There is evidence that he good for cardiovascular health due to the tannins it contains.
• The antioxidant value of sumac is phenomenal.. Sumac ranks first among herbs and spices for antioxidant properties, above cinnamon and oregano. It is even superior to acai berries (which are now celebrated as an elixir of health), as well as many fruits and vegetables. Eating foods high in antioxidants helps prevent heart disease, breast cancer and is effective in treating osteoarthritis.
• Sumac can lower blood glucose levels. Research demonstrates its effectiveness in controlling or preventing many chronic diseases that often accompany aging. Eating sumac has helped people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood glucose levels and increase their “good” cholesterol.
• Sumac has anti-inflammatory properties. This spice will help fight various colds and flu.
• Sumac is a diuretic, which means it helps remove toxins from the body through urine and is used in folk medicine to treat genitourinary infections and digestive problems.
• In women, sumac may increase breast milk production. It treats menstrual cramps by acting as an estrogen.
• It has antimicrobial activity. Research has shown that sumac works against a number of pathogens, including salmonella bacteria.

Contraindications (harm) and side effects of sumac seasoning

Harm and adverse side effects from consuming sumac are very rare, but possible. Do not consume sumac if you are allergic to cashews or mangoes, as it belongs to the same family as these plants. In this case, there is a high probability that an allergy will manifest itself to this seasoning.

Excessive amounts of sumac are contraindicated in people taking statins to lower cholesterol, blood pressure medications, and diabetes medications, as their effectiveness may be reduced.

Use of sumac seasoning in cooking

Due to its bright red color, sumac can be used as a natural dye in the same way as paprika.

Sumac pairs surprisingly well with other spices such as allspice, chili, thyme and cumin.

In most cases, the sumac you buy will already contain salt, so add less salt to the dish.

Here's what this seasoning is good for:

• Sumac goes well with chicken, fish and seafood, eggplant, chickpeas and lentils.
• It goes well with lamb, duck and other fatty meats. The traditional use of sumac is in kebabs.
• If you like hummus, try sprinkling it with sumac powder. This is amazing!
• Sumac adds a pleasant sour taste to the famous Bloody Mary alcoholic cocktail and other drinks.
• It goes well with fried or steamed vegetables, grilled lamb, chicken and fish.
• Try rubbing sumac on steaks before grilling or sprinkling on potatoes before roasting.
• Sumac can be mixed with natural yogurt or sour cream and herbs and served as a sauce.
• Other simple ways to use sumac are to add it to dishes that call for lemon juice, such as sprinkling it on a freshly prepared summer salad.

Chicken legs with sumac – recipe

Ingredients:

• chilled chicken legs – 700 g;
• sumac – 30 g;
• grape balsamic sauce (note: it is thicker than vinegar) – 50 g;
• coarse salt – 8–10 g.

How to cook:

1. Sprinkle the washed chicken evenly with sumac. Leave for 3–5 hours. You can marinate meat in sour oriental spices for a longer period (even the whole day), since it is a natural preservative.
2. Rinse your shins. After washing, they will appear unevenly colored - red-pink.
3. Transfer the legs to a preheated frying pan, immediately add salt and drizzle with balsamic, turn the heat to low and cover. After half a minute, meat juice will begin to release, so burning is excluded.
4. Simmer the drumsticks in the released broth for about 35 minutes. Turn them over once. The lower parts of poultry when stewed are always soft, but now they are downright tender and very fragrant!

How to replace sumac seasoning in recipes

If you can't find sumac, use one of several substitutes listed below.

• A mixture of dried and crushed lemon zest and ground black pepper. Their aromas complement each other perfectly and perfectly replace the sour taste of sumac. When using this substitution, use about one and a half times as much as the sumac recipe calls for.
• Za'atar is a spice blend that contains sumac, which means it will provide exactly the flavor you want. This alternative will work well in most dishes. When using this spice blend as a substitute, start with the same amount as the sumac and continue adding to taste.
• Tamarind is a tropical fruit that is known for its strong astringency. It is widely used in Indian and Thai cuisine, and West Indians use it to make drinks. You can view it at . Tamarind is very concentrated, which means you need to add a little at a time until you achieve a flavor and aroma similar to sumac.
• Vinegar is also a worthy alternative. It is significantly more tart than sumac, so use it with caution, starting with a teaspoon.

The vibrant color, astringent flavor, and versatility of this red Middle Eastern spice are worth checking out. Sumac not only goes well with many foods, but also provides great health benefits.

Sumac is made from the ground red berries of a small shrub, which is often called the “vinegar tree” for its specific taste properties. The berries ripen by the end of September.

From one sumac bush you can collect up to five hundred berries.

Historians claim that even in ancient Rome, sumac was actively used in cooking as a substitute for vinegar or lemon juice.

Sumac seasoning is made from the berries of the sumac tree or, as it is also called, “vinegar tree.”

Science knows about 250 species of sumac, which have spread over vast territories of the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia, as well as the Mediterranean. But only a few varieties of sumac are considered truly edible and suitable as a spice.

The remaining berries are so poisonous that even the leaves of the bush can leave a slight burn after touching.

Beneficial features

Sumac gained its fame not only due to its rich ruby ​​color or sour taste, because its main feature is the ability to preserve dishes for a long time in hot climates.

Sumac is rich in various acids and oils, making it a good antioxidant.

Sumac is rich in natural compounds such as tartaric, citric, malic, maleic, fumaric, succinic and ascorbic acids, tannins and many fatty and volatile oils. It is their combination that sumac spice owes its nutritional value and unique taste. And sumac berries got their dark scarlet hue due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments.

Sumac is known to have antioxidant properties, making it essential for medicinal purposes. The substances contained in sumac leaves are known for their hemostatic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects.

Traditional medicine is replete with remedies using sumac to treat diarrhea, rheumatism, paralysis, gout or basic colds.

If you dilute ground sumac in water and drink it, it will help in the fight against scurvy, tumors and dysentery.

Sumac is able to quickly cleanse the body of toxins and harmful wastes, tidy up the digestive system and normalize the functioning of the body in case of diabetes. For this purpose, a special alcohol extract is extracted from the berries, which has a unique hypoglycemic effect.

For cholera or serious inflammation of the larynx or mouth, it is recommended to drink a hot infusion of fresh berries. And the dried leaves and bark of sumac become the basis for medicinal ointments against ulcers and burns.

If you are experiencing severe low energy or fatigue, sumac can have a positive effect.

In many cases, sumac is even added to tobacco mixtures and is considered a good coloring or tanning agent. Tannin isolated from sumac has proven to be a detoxifying agent and is recommended by doctors for poisoning with salts of heavy metals and alkaloids.

Where is sumac added?

Sumac is almost universal and has found its successful use in different cultures - from cooking to canning.

Among the common oriental seasonings, sumac is one of the top five. Thus, in Iran and Turkey it is customary to sprinkle ground sumac on rice snacks, and in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, red berries are brewed and the resulting broth is used to season meat and vegetable dishes.

Botanical researcher John Gerard, originally from England, described sumac back in 1597 as an excellent addition to sauces with meat, after which any discomfort in the stomach disappears.

Sumac seasoning is used in the preparation of meat and vegetable dishes, added to salads, marinades and sauces.

Sumac can be found in salads and marinades; it goes well with fish or poultry, and is often added to dishes that use beans and cereals. To spice up pea soups or hummus (an oriental snack made from chickpea puree), add a little sumac.

Another interesting dish that requires sumak is a sauce made from yogurt or kefir, which traditionally accompanies meat cooked on the grill.

Pork chops or lamb cutlets will get an unusual kick if you season them with sumac and cumin or ground black pepper. Sometimes, to make it more appetizing and tasty, kebab or pieces of pita bread are dipped directly into a bowl of spice.

Not a single lula kebab, shawarma or shish kebab can do without cilantro and onion rings, generously sprinkled with burgundy spice. Marinated meats and barbecue steaks are generously seasoned with sumac before grilling.

The applications of ruby ​​spice do not end there, and sumac can be found in sausages, various fillings and minced meats, cheeses and even drinks or desserts. Lovers of unusual tastes and culinary experiments confidently add sumac to light breakfasts such as sandwiches.

One of the advantages of sumac is its compatibility with most seasonings, such as sesame, thyme, nutmeg, coriander, hot pepper, cumin, cloves and others.

Today, sumak is widely used in the preparation of pilaf, boiled potatoes and bean soups. Fans of smoked lard will certainly enjoy the new taste of the delicacy combined with a slice of black bread and sumac.

Where to store sumac?

A quality sumac seasoning should have a deep cherry hue.

It is recommended to store this spice in a tightly closed container, preferably ceramic, securely hidden from sunlight.

It is believed that the deeper and more “cherry” the shade of the powder, the better the quality of the sumac. When its shelf life expires, which is a little more than a year, the characteristic shade disappears.

Contraindications

Despite all the positive qualities, sumac also has disadvantages. Due to the fact that sumac medications increase blood clotting and actively stimulate the body to produce gastric juice, they are contraindicated for people suffering from stomach ulcers and acute forms of gastritis.

Sumac should not be consumed by those who are at risk of blood clots in the blood vessels, or who have impaired carbohydrate metabolism.

Sumac has become another find for culinary experts, and opens up endless possibilities for gastronomic experiments. An exotic seasoning from the eastern lands, it is ideal for most recipes and also has many uses outside of cooking.

Unfortunately, fresh sumac berries are unlikely to be found on store shelves, but ground seasoning is sold almost everywhere.