Al-summaqiyya

Al-summaqiyya is an Arab medieval stew in which meat is simmered in flavorful sumac juice. It was also known as al-Haruniyya, for it was the favorite dish of Caliph Harun al-Rasheed (d.809). According to al-Warraq’s tenth-century cookbook, choice cuts of meat along with salt, a bunch of chopped shallots (kurrath al-basal), and chopped leeks were first fried in oil, and then strained ma’ al-summaq (sumac juice) was added. The juice should cover the meat by four fingers’ width, the recipe specified. To get sumac juice, al-Warraq’s recipe recommends warming up the soaked sumac berries in the sun, or letting them steep in hot water, rather than boiling them, as this would spoil their flavor. Then vegetables, along with a handful of ground walnuts and another handful of walnut halves, were added. The pot was seasoned with coriander, black pepper, cassia, and galangal.