Sumac (Rhus coriaria) is the primary souring agent of Levantine cooking — pre-dating the arrival of citrus in the region. Ground from the dried berries of the sumac plant, it provides a fruity, wine-like acidity without the sharp brightness of lemon juice. Its use is documented in medieval Arab cookery texts, and it remains indispensable in Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Turkish, and Iranian cooking.
A ground dried berry used as both a finishing spice and a souring agent — applied dry to dishes at the end of cooking, or macerated in water to extract a souring liquid used in dressings and braises. Its acidity is different from citrus: fruity, tannin-edged, and less volatile, meaning it can be added earlier in cooking than lemon without losing its character.
Sumac's contribution is distinctive enough to identify a dish as Levantine before any other flavour registers. It is the acid that reads as colour — the deep red dusting over hummus, fattoush, and musakhan is simultaneously visual and flavour information. Use generously: unlike lemon, its acid is buffered enough not to overwhelm.
- As a finishing spice, apply after cooking — its colour (deep burgundy-red) bleeds and dulls with prolonged heat, and its aromatic compounds are volatile - For soaking: steep in warm water for 15 minutes, strain, and use the liquid as a souring agent in dressings and sauces [VERIFY ratio: approximately 2 tablespoons per 100ml water] - Quality indicator: fresh sumac smells fruity and slightly wine-like. Stale sumac is dusty and flat — it has lost its aromatic compounds - In musakhan (the roasted chicken with sumac and onions), sumac is used in both the marinade and as a finishing dusting — two different applications demonstrating its range
OTTOLENGHI JERUSALEM — Technique Entries OT-01 through OT-25