By Dave Stewart
Sour grapes? Well, not exactly.
This deep red powder is made from the dried berries of the sumac plant and gives a sour and fruity note to dishes.
You may well have eaten it sprinkled on the top of mezze dishes, or as part of the thyme and sesame based ‘za’atar’ spice mix that goes so¬†excellently with flatbreads and¬†good olive oil.
What’s great about sumac is not just the tart flavour it imparts but also the fact that it’s dry -where an overabundance of lemon juice might kill the crispiness of the fried pita bread in a Fattoush salad, for example, sumac gives you the sharp, tart flavour without the sogginess .
Try mixing sumac with olive oil, salt, thyme, roasted sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice and marinate chicken pieces (or even slices of halloumi and nectarine halves), before barbecuing or grilling on a high heat, basting regularly with melted butter and a little more lemon juice, until cooked through and deliciously charred on the edges. Serve with steamed, fluffy rice and drizzle with a little Greek yogurt and watercress or rocket salad.