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Posted on 6:14 AM by Wanto and filed under
By Jimmy Huett
Sumach herb is a shrub up to 3 in (10 ft) high growing wild in the Mediterranean region and southeast Asia on stony banks high up above the seashore. It is grown for its sour fruits in southern Italy and Sicily.
In Lebanon sumach herb may be seen in front of almost every house, the fruits being dried and ground into a purplish-red powder, or soaked in water and the juice then pressed out. They have a sour and pleasantly astringent taste.
The fruits of sumach herb were used by the ancient Romans, who called the plant Syrian sumach, for the same purpose as lemons before the latter were introduced into cultivation. From Mattioli we know that the eastern peoples used the dried fruits of sumach herb in place of salt.
The red powder may be purchased in shops that specialize in foodstuffs from Lebanon, but it is rarely used in Europe. However, sumach is very important in Arabian cookery, where it is still preferred to lemon.
The juice is used to flavour salads and the powder in various dishes, mainly fish. Sumach herb may also be used with stewed poultry, vegetables and roast meat. Because of its high tannin content sumach is a suitable ingredient in fatty foods, promoting digestion and checking diarrhoea.
The same happens when radishes are sown in summer (they usually run to seed), which is why they should be grown in a shaded spot at that time of the year. The slower and longer their growth, the drier they become and the hotter their taste.
In Lebanon sumach herb may be seen in front of almost every house, the fruits being dried and ground into a purplish-red powder, or soaked in water and the juice then pressed out. They have a sour and pleasantly astringent taste.
The fruits of sumach herb were used by the ancient Romans, who called the plant Syrian sumach, for the same purpose as lemons before the latter were introduced into cultivation. From Mattioli we know that the eastern peoples used the dried fruits of sumach herb in place of salt.
The red powder may be purchased in shops that specialize in foodstuffs from Lebanon, but it is rarely used in Europe. However, sumach is very important in Arabian cookery, where it is still preferred to lemon.
The juice is used to flavour salads and the powder in various dishes, mainly fish. Sumach herb may also be used with stewed poultry, vegetables and roast meat. Because of its high tannin content sumach is a suitable ingredient in fatty foods, promoting digestion and checking diarrhoea.
The same happens when radishes are sown in summer (they usually run to seed), which is why they should be grown in a shaded spot at that time of the year. The slower and longer their growth, the drier they become and the hotter their taste.
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