Sumac

Lore & Background

Sumacs are dioecious shrubs and small trees that can reach a height of one to ten metres. The leaves of its type species are pinnately compound, though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. The flowers are in dense panicles or spikes, each flower very small, greenish, creamy white or red, with five petals. The fruits are reddish, thin-fleshed drupes covered in varying levels of hairs at maturity and form dense clusters at branch tips, sometimes called sumac bobs. Sumacs propagate both by seed (spread by birds and other animals through their droppings) and by new shoots from rhizomes, forming large clonal colonies. The word sumac traces its etymology from Old French sumac, from Mediaeval Latin sumach, from Arabic summāq, from Syriac summāqa meaning 'red'. The generic name Rhus derives from Ancient Greek ῥοῦς rhous referring to the type species R. coriaria, of unknown etymology; the suggestion that it is connected with the verb ῥέω rheō 'to flow' is now rejected by scholars. In food, the dried fruits of some species are ground to produce a tangy, crimson spice popular in many countries. Fruits are also used to make a traditional 'pink lemonade' beverage by steeping them in water, straining to remove the hairs that may irritate the mouth or throat, sometimes adding sweeteners such as honey or sugar. Sumac's tart flavor comes from high amounts of malic acid. The fruits of Rhus coriaria are ground into a reddish-purple powder used as a spice in many different cuisines to add a tart, lemony taste to salads or meat. In Middle Eastern Cuisine, it is used as a garnish on meze dishes such as hummus and tashi; it is also commonly added to falafel.

Reader's Guide

Sumac holds significance as a versatile plant used for culinary, dye, and medicinal purposes across many cultures. Its dried fruits provide a tangy spice central to Middle Eastern cuisine, appearing in dishes such as hummus, falafel, and the Palestinian dish musakhan, as well as in the Levantine spice mixture za'atar. In medieval Europe, sumac appeared frequently in cookbooks of the affluent, with one dish called sumāqiyya. The leaves and bark contain high levels of tannins, used historically for leather tanning—producing flexible, light-colored leather such as morocco leather—and as a dye. Sumac-dye was used for only the outerwear of the Emperor of Japan, making it one of the forbidden colors. In traditional medicine, sumac was used for several ailments in medieval West, Central and South Asian countries; a clinical study showed that dietary sumac decreases blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Some species formerly recognized in Rhus, such as poison ivy and poison sumac, produce the allergen urushiol and can cause severe delayed hypersensitivity reactions, but true sumac species have red drupes unlike the white drupes of poison sumac. Sumac also holds cultural significance as a symbolic item on the Haft-sin table during Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

Did You Know?

• Sumac's tart flavor comes from high amounts of malic acid.
• The word sumac traces from Syriac summāqa meaning 'red'.
• Sumac-dye was used for only the outerwear of the Emperor of Japan, being one of the forbidden colors.
• Some beekeepers use dried sumac bobs as a source of fuel for their smokers.