Sumac!

Sumac powder.

Sumac is a wonderful spice – not the poisonous kind but lemony and nice! It is used in many Arab, Iranian and Turkish cuisines. I like to use it on roast chicken or roasted vegetables. They say you can also sprinkle it directly on salads, rice and hummus, which I have not yet tried.

As I’ve mentioned before, my husband has to be on this crazy diet to cut down on his acid intake. He has had a constant cough that apparently if left unchecked, can turn into esophageal cancer. Yikes! Therefore I am not allowed to use any garlic, onions, peppers of any kind, lemons or any citrus for nearly 6 months! All the things that give recipes the real flavor! So I have been struggling to cook around all of this. Fresh ginger and herbs de Provence have become my new best friends and so has sumac!
Sumac on raw chicken in a glass bowl.Roast sumac chicken with artichokes. Roasted sumac chicken with roasted Jerusalem artichokes

Sumac is a beautiful purply red, coarse ground powder. I recommend a heavy sprinkling on a chicken before roasting. Check out my Roast Chicken recipe and sprinkle the sumac all over to coat. See the photos above for before and after cooking. So give it a go and let me know what you think!

(This article is also featured on Spice4Life in South Africa)