Plant · P-653

Sumac Spice

Rhus coriaria

Sumac Spice is a suckering shrub whose dark red berries dry into the tart, wine-coloured spice sprinkled over Middle Eastern dishes and blended into za'atar. The tangy flavour comes from malic acid, the same acid found in apples, and finely ground leaf and stem also make a traditional tanning and dyeing agent. It thrives on dry, rocky, limestone ground that would defeat most fruiting shrubs, spreading by root suckers into a thicket if the edges are not mown or grazed. The fresh sap can irritate skin, so anyone sensitive to cashew or mango, its relatives, should handle it with gloves.