Welcome back to Lay’s Kitchen! Happy to be back, pursuing my two passions of cooking and writing. Today, I am going to be talking about some new fun and different ways to use sumac. Sumac, which traditionally is from the Middle East, is the powder of red berries. In Ancient Roman times, this spice was used as a souring agent when combined with water. It can be used to give food a bright pop of colour or can even enhance the taste, adding a tart essence to your dish. Commonly, seen and used in more Middle Eastern countries, Sumac has many uses including as a dry rub, marinade, or even a dressing giving a hint of tang in every meal 🙂
Creatively, one could add Sumac to extra virgin olive oil developing a pungent bread dipping oil. Chef Amanda Cohen, the author of the award winning cookbook Dirt Candy, believes that Sumac is a very underrated spice in the US. Actually, it is very citrusy while acting also as a flavor enhancer. Chef Annie Pettry, the owner of Decca Restaurant in Louisville, says she loves to use sumac to season her fried food. “The sumac brightens everything up with citrus tones, but it’s also earthy, so I feel like it makes fried food pop. I love it on corn fritters, fried brussels sprouts, and especially fried garbanzo beans” Annie says when discussing how she uses sumac in her cooking. Growing up in a Persian household, my grandma uses sumac in a lot of her dishes including kabobs, tahdig, salad shirazi, and almost everything else. Naturally, I have become accustomed to this and now find myself putting it on all types of foods. These are just some fun ways you can change things up in the kitchen and add your own twist on things:) Thank you guys so much for tuning in and I’ll see you next time!!!! – Layla
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