82 replies to this topic

[kristin_71]

Penzy's also sells zaatar, which is good to know in the winter when fresh herbs are less than available. I always use sumac in fatoosh zaatar on bread when baking. Really good hot out of the oven with some labne and maybe some really good olives.

[zora]

To follow up on that way-back comment/query about sumac lemonade: I had some of this when I was just in Istanbul (oh, Ciya, I love you!), and it was quite nice, though not quite as zingy as I would've liked. Sounds like Sazji would know better, but I think you just steep the whole sumac berries like you would a tea, and then add sugar. It has a great pink flavor.

I got myself some whole sumac while in Turkey, so maybe I can make myself a stronger version.

On the zaatar tip, one of the 8 million delicious things I just ate in Syria was a salad of zaatar, soft cheese and tomato. I was a little perplexed when it came to the table, because the zaatar element looked exactly like chopped-up rosemary...but then tasted more like oregano. It was a pretty intense salad.

A trip to the farmers market, and reading a little of this thread, I now see that's what we call hyssop, the something-or-other spicata variety. Anyway, it was interesting to see zaatar used (in Arabic, not just random translation) to describe this plant as well. Looking at all the overlapping varieties of thyme/oregano/marjoram/zaatar/hyssop makes me feel a little dizzy.

[ChefCrash]

Sounds like you had a great trip.
Wish you would tell us more about what you ate in Syria. Are hard boiled egg sandwiches still popular street food in Damascus?


The Zaatar you ate is referred to as "Zaatar Farsi" translates to Persian Zaatar. It's used in salads and is also pickled. It's very much (if not the same as) like Summer Savory.

[zora]

I'll pull my notes together and start a separate Syria spread. We didn't get to Damascus this time, but I can say I didn't spot any egg sandwiches in Aleppo. Which is a real shame, because hard-boiled-egg sandwiches are one of my favorite things!

Yikes. Savory. Just one more thing to add to the mix. Interesting that you say zaatar farsi gets pickled, because my husband thought the stuff was like the pickled caperberry bush (or what he _thought_ was caperberry bush) he ate a lot in Greece. Later we talked to a woman in a Greek health food store, and she told him it was something else...but not any word we knew that mapped with zaatar. Now I wonder if it's all hyssop. Can someone draw a Venn diagram of this somehow?

[Naftal]

Thanks all. This is just the kind of discussion I was looking forward to when I started this whole thread

[ChefCrash]

Found this in the fridge. It's great with Basturma. Picked it up in Dearborn about a year ago. Forgot I had it.

Edited by ChefCrash, 25 July 2007 - 06:35 PM.

[zora]

Suspicious--we had a jar that looked like that with a Greek label for a long time! I appreciate that this Syrian jar has a drawing of the little green sprig on it, which actually clears up a lot.

I guess I'll just pickle some of the hyssop from the plant I bought at the farmer's market and see what happens...

[linda dalal]

On slices of (white)  raw onion rings.

I use it a lot in salads and grilled meat skewers. (chicken and lamb)

I love the onion idea, what kinds of salads do you make?

friends of mine from douma (lebanon) use sumac to marinate spanish onions for addition to fattoush. onions are chopped julienne style, placed in a bowl and then sprinkled generously with sumac and set aside for an hour or so before adding to the fattoush. the sumac reduces the sharpness of raw onions, almost "cooks" them, making them more palatable than raw onion.

our family (also from douma) makes fattoush with sumac just sprinkled into the salad and use green onions rather than white, but the sumac onion variation also makes for a great fattoush. both of these are included in my cookbook, alice's kitchen.

[Lior]

Hello all! Salaam, shalom, etc

I am from Israel, and just ran down to check my spice drawer-got curious... My Za'atar jar says, "Hyssop, sesame seeds, sumac, salt and lemon salt" We use it constantly. Some ideas: Pour olive oil on top of a plate of hummous and generously sprinkle za'atar on the top.

sprinkle on soft white cheeses, dip triangles of fresh or toasted pita into olive oil and then into a bowl of za'atar. My daughter loves in on a piece of bread with chocolate spread!

Bye
Lior

Edited by Lior, 04 August 2007 - 02:41 AM.

[Naftal]

Hello all! Salaam, shalom, etc

I am from Israel, and just ran down to check my spice drawer-got curious... My Za'atar jar says, "Hyssop, sesame seeds, sumac, salt and lemon salt" We use it constantly. Some ideas: Pour olive oil on top of a plate of hummous and generously sprinkle za'atar on the top.

sprinkle on soft white cheeses, dip triangles of fresh or toasted pita into olive oil and then into a bowl of za'atar. My daughter loves in on a piece of bread with chocolate spread!

Bye
Lior

Greetings!
You had some very original ideas I was wondering if the chocolate spread you use is Nutella

[Lior]

Well yes it is one of them... However there is a national favorite here and no matter how delicious anyother kind is, gourmet or other, most people are almost fanatical about what they grew up with. It is like the american favorite: peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It is on many school sandwiches...



Lior

[melkor]

That stuff is horrible. It seems to be made with equal parts plastic and wax with a little chocolate flavoring and artificial coloring added.

[Lior]

That stuff is horrible. It seems to be made with equal parts plastic and wax with a little chocolate flavoring and artificial coloring added.

Yes I agree, but hardly anyone else does! You cannot talk sense to most. I guess it is like Hershey's- plastic chocolate loved by most Americans! It is connected to childhood memories!!

[melkor]

That stuff is horrible. It seems to be made with equal parts plastic and wax with a little chocolate flavoring and artificial coloring added.

Yes I agree, but hardly anyone else does! You cannot talk sense to most. I guess it is like Hershey's- plastic chocolate loved by most Americans! It is connected to childhood memories!!

I always think of Hersey's as more a mix of wax and chalk..

[Pontormo]

Sumac (powdered form) is excellent rubbed onto a rack of spareribs prior to roasting or grilling. I just combined it with a chili powder (American version--spice mixture) this time around and was very happy with the results.

[Hector]

I will (as soon as time lets me) try to make Sumac (and maby something else) Ice cream. More about that coming up.

[maftoul]

We make a mix of sumac, crushed aleppo pepper and dried mint and sprinkle it on olive oil roasted potatoes right when they come out of the oven. Add some hummus, feta, sliced tomatoes and pita and we have a nice light supper.

[andiesenji]

You can also make a syrup with sumac and drizzle it on grilled meats and use it in salad dressings and marinades.

[marlena spieler]

this is a fabulous thread for sumac-lovers, i feel like running right into the kitchen and trying out half the stuff, esp the lemonade.

last week i ate a turkish potato salad that was so bright and reviving:

boiled diced potatoes, lemon juice, onion+garlic, tons of sumac and lemon juice, a little bit of olive oil. this is my new best friend in the potato-salad department. delicious on a bed of salady greens.

marlena

[sazji]

I am pretty sure that the sumac sold in middle eastern grocery stores is the kind that grows in the Middle East, not the American species. The American ones (Rhus typhina, Rhus glabra) have sour berries but they are still quite different, the berries are small and fuzzy, carried in dense red clusters above the foliage. Poison sumac (Rhus vernix - now reclassified into the genus Toxicodendron rather than Rhus) has white berries in loose clusters scattered over the plant, so it's easy to distinguish them. R. coriaria (Med. sumac) has much larger, dark berries.

You can see pictures of both the American and Mediterranean species Here The last picture on the page is a very good one of the Mediterranean species.

One thing I do with it is to soak a handful of whole sumac overnight (a couple hours is probably fine) in hot water, and then strain and use it in the cooking water for meat dolma. (rice, meat, isot pepper, tomatoes, parsley, pepper paste, tomato paste, onion if desired, salt, black pepper, some butter). If you can't find whole sumac you can just add the ground sumac directly to the filling. Fill the fresh or dried peppers/eggplant/vine leaves/whatever with the filling, rice uncooked, cover with a couple fingers of water (including the sumac), add a bit of tomato paste and oil or butter, weight with a plate, simmer till done. I haven't tried soaking the ground sumac but it might work as well.

Edited by sazji, 06 November 2007 - 07:05 AM.

[Naftal]

Here is a question regarding sumac and turkish food: Would sumac work in imam bayildi ? I am thinking that I could use it instead of the 2T of lemon juice my recipe calls for. What do you think, should I do it,or not?????????

Edited by Naftal, 17 December 2007 - 02:59 PM.

[sazji]

Here is a question regarding sumac and turkish food: Would  sumac work in imam bayildi ? I am thinking that I could use it instead of the 2T of lemon juice my recipe calls for. What do you think, should I do it,or not?????????

I wouldn't because I think the astringent side of it might be a bit obtrusive. Lemon is a bright tartness to me, sumac is dark and woody. But no harm in trying it! You could make a batch with a little less lemon, make a bit of sumac water and put that over in place of the squeeze of lemon, and see how you like it. If you don't you could squeeze lemon juice over the rest.

[Perri]

Zaatar is a plant (Majorana syriaca) - traditionally the leaves are used as a seasoning.  There are countless blends of spices that people use for a similar taste, but the right way to make zaatar is to use zaatar leaves.

Right. But none of the blends I sell (or have seen) actually use zaatar leaves.

I don't have any real recipes that use sumac, but occasionally I'll use it when I make chicken kebabs. Just mix ground chicken with sumac, a little cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, grated red onion - onto sticks and chill. Grill and serve with fresh pita.

Zaa'tar would never be Zaa'tar if it didnt have the realt plant in it. Most zaa'tar blends are faked with parsley in them. zaa'tar, sesame seeds, sumac is the realy zaa'tar ussed for manoushi & with labane.
its the only one i have ever known