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!
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)
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Your favorite spice right now?
Looks yummy! Where do you buy sumac in South Africa? I live in Cape Town.
Hi Martine, I’m working on getting you an answer as I don’t live in Cape Town. Try searching for it at a gourmet grocery and I will let you know as soon as I can find out better information for you. I know you will LOVE it! – Mary
Hi Martine,
Some places where you can find Sumac in Cape Town are the following:
Chef’s Warehouse
50 New Church Street
8001 Cape Town
http://www.chefswarehouse.co.za/home.php
Available in any quantity for 35.00 Rand / 100g
Main Ingredient
60 Arthurs Road
8005 Sea Point
http://www.mainingredient.biz/
Quantity is on request or in a 25 gram jar for 15.00 Rand
Enjoy!!
Hi do you know where sumac is available in johannesburg?
Sorry for the delay – check out this link: http://www.thrupps.co.za/thrv4/catalogueList.do Enjoy!
Hi, I’ve been looking for Sumac everywhere in Pretoria and can’t find it. Any suggestions where I might be able to find it, here or in Johannesburg?
Ok – finally! So sorry this took so long – go to this link and you can order. http://www.thrupps.co.za/thrv4/catalogueList.do
Brilliant, thank you so much!