Sumac

The red-berried sumac bush—Rhus coriaria, not to be confused with the poisonous white-berried species—grows wild in Iran, in Azerbaijan, the Caspian region and in foothills. Sumac is harvested in the autumn. The clusters are hung to dry, then separated. Sumac provides one of the most distinctive flavorings in Persian cooking. To make it, the berries, along with leaves and branches, are boiled in water, then sieved to make sumac juice; or the berries alone are dried and crushed to a powder. The latter, sold in Persian groceries, is the more usual form of the spice; it is kept in the kitchen and on the table, along with salt and pepper. Sumac is prized as a digestive, and even more prized as a pleasantly astringent souring agent. It adds distinction to kababs, breads, marinades, soups, and khoreshes, among other dishes. It is considered a cold food.