Secret Ingredient: Sumac

27 May 2009 5 Comments

I discovered the now-my-favorite-spice when visiting Turkey last year. We were served some variation of “tomato and cucumber salad” with sumac at every meal. I loved it. I knew I had tasted the spice before in Lebanese cooking but had never bothered to find out what it was. That is, until I got addicted on day 4 of the trip and then just had to know. Sumac is an essential spice in Arabic cooking, greatly enjoyed for its tangy, sour and astringent taste. The Sumac berries are dried and crushed into a coarse dark purple-ish-red powder. Evidently, I bought a load of it at the Istanbul Spice Market to bring back home… To make tomato and cucumber salads, bien sûr. You can buy Sumac at any Middle Eastern grocery store, or I found it on Amazon.com here. And it’s not only delicious in salads. Use it as dry seasonings on meats and fish, on vegetables, rice and in sauces. Yummm.

I have been serving a lot of this could-not-be-more-simple summer salad of late, to great acclaim. So, now that Farmer’s Market fresh tomatoes and cucumbers are rolling in, I thought that this was the perfect time to share the recipe. You hardly even need to write it down:

Tomato & Cucumber Summer Salad for 4

4 chopped tomatoes
1 English cucumber, diced
1/4 onion sliced paper thin
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp sumac
Salt to taste

Mix, let sit for about 5 – 10 minutes and serve. I guarantee that everyone will be going for a second serving. Yes. Guarantee it. I’m ready to take bets.

5 Comments »

viveca on 27 May 2009 at 12:17 pm

Ummmmmmmm. Sounds deeeeelicious!

And yes, tis the season to pile on the fresh fruits and veggies from Farmer’s Markets everywhere! I invite girlfriends to go with me. That’s my secret to keeping friendships fresh … easy, fun, fuss-free outings.

Thanks for the recipe! Viveca

Iris Green on 29 May 2009 at 12:09 pm

Sounds delightful (and that salad looks great). I’m always looking for something to spice up my food. I’ll have to see if sumac is sold on Amazon or something. Or I’m sure I could find it at a specialty market like World’s Market or Trader Joes.

Jason at Dr.MOZ on 4 June 2009 at 9:45 am

I stopped by yesterday to see how the daddy gift giveaway was going, but had to run back for this recipe before getting sidetracked. This is the perfect dish for the blistering hot weekends here in Sonoma. Thanks for the great recipe!

~ Jason

The Succulent Wife on 4 June 2009 at 9:50 am

Jason, Let us know how you like it. Sumac = best kept secret ingredient, I think!

Janell on 23 September 2009 at 10:18 pm

My niece is stationed in Turkey for the next year. She has mentioned how she loves the food in Turkey and I bet she’s lovin’ the flavor of sumac spice you mentioned in your article. I’m anxious now to try it…..West Side Market here I come!