The mysterious plant was indeed sumac, a Godsend for our forefathers and mothers who needed a lemony taste in their dishes but could not access lemons (either due to seasonal lack of availability or because they did not live in the coastal areas where citrus is grown).
Sumac is dried and ground into a powder and keeps for many many months in a jar. If you buy it from a store, beware of the sumac that looks bright red. It should be dark, of a brownish hue otherwise, it has been dyed artificially.
Sumac is used in hundreds of dishes in Lebanon and throughout the region; it is one of the components of zaatar in Lebanon and used also to flavor stuffings (for mehshis and kibbeh) as well as in dressing for fattoush.
This recipe is from dear Asma, a Kurdish/Lebanese lady from the region of Mardin in Turkey. The sumac berries are soaked overnight then strained through a cheesecloth and mixed with grape molasses for a refreshing summer drink. The taste is peppery, a bit sour, and mellow from the molasses or honey.
Today, I used powdered sumac simply because that is what is available in North America.
INGREDIENTS: 1 serving
- 12 ounces of water
- 1 heaping tablespoon of dried powdered sumac
- 1 tablespoon of grape molasses or honey
- Place the sumac in the water, cover and leave overnight. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth or a paper towel set over a sieve; add the grape molasses or honey, stir and refrigerate. Drink ice cold for a refreshing drink. This drink is also supposed to help upset stomachs.
27 Comments
A very interesting drink! Healthy too.
cheers,
Rosa
I have some sumac at home, and it’s reddish like a wine. Not that bright, but not very dark and brownish either. Would you say it’s been artificially dyed?
@the indolent cook: No, I’d say you got the real thing!
What a wonderful idea, sumac lemonade!! I will be making this soon, Joumana.
Ah! I could NOT figure what that was. What a unique lemonade!
Delicious…I love sour drink. I’ll try it. Thank you.
Love the stuff and use it often. I just got a zatar plant and am looking forward to making a bit of the mix. Why do they say zatar is made with thyme? This plant looks more like oregano and smells like heaven. I’m thinking using sumac in lemonade is a great idea!
What a great and original idea, ideal for this time of the year! You amaze me with each and every post!
Love xoxoxoxo
PS comment is short, will dash to the kitchen to make this lemonade.
@Deana: Thyme in the Levant is more like oregano in the US, or at least a certain variety of it.
Awesome timing! I just got some sumac but I didn’t know what to do with it.
This sounds delicious – I use sumac for so many things, but I’ve never tried this before, though I’m afraid I’ll only have access to the powdered version here in Vienna… Love the pic!
Une limonade que je pourrai faire à Paris aussi.
Des ingrédients que je trouverai facilement.
A bientôt
You can find grape molasses in California’s mid. eastern stores. I shop in one which is by the Armenians from Lebanon and they import the syrup in jars from Turkey. It is the real thing and very good.
I’ve just discovered/used Sumac for the 1st time, and fell in love with it! This will be a fun drink to try.
I never realized that sumac had a lemon flavor. Now I will have to try it.
Joumana dear what a drink! This is completely up my alley as far as summer drinks go. And grape molasses sounds just marvelous seeing how I am in love with pom molasses – thanks to you!
chow
DEVAKI @ weavethousandflavors
When my son went to Dubai I told him to bring me some sumac and he brought me two kinds. One was labeled Sumac from Lebanon. Pity I didn’t know that I could use it in drinks as well. Love grape molasses.
I cannot imagine how this tastes, but know that once you have acquired the taste I bet is is so refreshing and delicious!
cool love sumac use it often with chicken will give this a try
I have loved sumac for ages with the sour bright tang it has a little song to sing on the tongue and I find myself consistently addicted to whatever I eat with sumac in it. This is a great, very simple, delicious idea. I cannot wait to try it. I have both ingredients!
V
Quant à cette boisson-là, je l’essaye au plus vite !
I LOVE sumac, but cannot find pure sumac (no salt) that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg off-line. I’ve ordered some before, but was left with something that tasted stale and artificial. Do you have a favorite brand/ website?
@Geneviève: Where do you live? I always found mine at the Middle-Eastern store in the US.
I live near Philadelphia, PA.. There aren’t really any middle-eastern stores around here, do you have any online suggestions?
We have sumac trees that grow wild, is this the same thing? We always called it poison sumac.
@Jealith: in the US the sumac bush is poisonous, so no it is not the same thing.
@Genevieve: there is a company Ziyad brothers, that distributes a ton of Middle-Eastern products and I believe they sell online as well.
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[...] Gitto fick jag nys om den eminenta bloggen Taste of Beirut och när jag där fick syn på lemonad med sumac var det som att en dörr öppnades och jag insåg att javisstja, sumac kan man använda till [...]
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