Sumac

What it is

Sumac is made from the dried and coarsely ground berries of the sumac shrub (Rhus coriaria), used for centuries across the Levant, Turkey, Iran, and the wider Middle East. It is deeply tart and fruity — a clean, lemony sourness without any actual citrus — and it stains everything it touches a beautiful brick red.

It is a souring and finishing spice, much like a squeeze of lemon in dry form. It also appears inside za’atar blends, where it supplies the tang against the herbs and sesame.

Using it on focaccia

Sumac is a finisher, not a bake-through spice. Its brightness and its red color both fade under sustained heat, so the best move is to scatter it over the focaccia the moment it comes out of the oven, while the top is still glossy with oil, or to stir it into a finishing olive oil you brush on after baking.

It lifts rich, oily, or creamy toppings especially well — onions, labneh, feta, chickpeas, roasted vegetables — cutting through fat with acidity the way lemon would. A little goes a long way; too much turns aggressively sour.

Pairings and amounts

Sumac loves olive oil, onion, za’atar, cucumber, yogurt and labneh, feta, and grilled or roasted vegetables. A focaccia finished with soft cheese, thin onion, and a dusting of sumac is a natural. Start with a light scatter — a teaspoon or two over a whole focaccia — and add more to taste, since sumacs vary in tartness and salt.