Sumac
54; see text Sumac or sumach[a] (/ˈsuːmæk, ˈʃuː-/ S(H)OO-mak, UK also /ˈsjuː-/)—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae.[4][5][6] Sumacs are dioecious shrubs and small trees in the family Anacardiaceae that can reach a height of one to ten metres (3–33 ft).The fruits are reddish, thin-fleshed drupes covered in varying levels of hairs at maturity and form dense clusters at branch tips, sometimes called sumac bobs.Sumacs propagate both by seed (spread by birds and other animals through their droppings), and by new shoots from rhizomes, forming large clonal colonies.[10] The generic name Rhus derives from Ancient Greek ῥοῦς (rhous), meaning "sumac", of unknown etymology; the suggestion that it is connected with the verb ῥέω (rheō), "to flow", is now rejected by scholars.[18][19] Fruits are also used to make a traditional "pink lemonade" beverage by steeping them in water, straining to remove the hairs that may irritate the mouth or throat, sometimes adding sweeteners such as honey or sugar.[20] The fruits (drupes) of Rhus coriaria are ground into a reddish-purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a tart, lemony taste to salads or meat.In Armenian, Azerbaijani, Central Asian, Syrian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Lebanese, Turkish and Kurdish cuisines, it is added to salads, kebab and lahmajoun.[21][22] During medieval times, primarily from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, sumac appeared in cookbooks frequently used by the affluent in Western Europe.[citation needed] This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing them to extract the essence, straining the liquid through a cotton cloth, and sweetening it.
Toxicodendron vernixSumac (disambiguation)Sumak, PertekPreꞒScientific classificationPlantaeTracheophytesAngiospermsEudicotsRosidsSapindalesAnacardiaceaeAnacardioideaeType speciesRhus coriariaSynonymsF.A.BarkleyShaferGreenepoison sumacflowering plantscashewIranianLebaneseMiddle Eastern cuisinesholisticsubtropicaltemperatedioeciousshrubsleavespinnately compoundflowerspaniclesfruitsdrupesspreaddroppingsshootsrhizomesclonal coloniesde Candollecircumscriptionsubgenerasensu latosensu strictoCotinusDuckeraMalosmaMetopiumSearsiaToxicodendronActinocheitaBaroniamonophyleticmolecular phylogenyPlants of the World OnlineRhus chinensisRhus potaniniiRhus sandwicensisA.GrayHawaiiRhus taitensisGuill.AustraliaMalesiaMicronesiaFrench PolynesiaRhus aromaticaRhus choriophyllaRhus copallinumRhus glabraRhus integrifoliaRhus kearneyiRhus lanceolataRhus michauxiiRhus microphyllaRhus ovataRhus trilobataRhus typhinaRhus virensLindh.Rhus boothillensisYpresianRhus garwelliiRhus malloryiRhus republicensisRhus rooseaeMiddle EoceneSearsia mysorensisSyriacAncient GreekKlondike Mountain FormationR. aromaticaR. microphyllaR. glabraR. typhinaornamentcultivarsmalic acidMiddle Eastern cuisinelemonyArab cuisinehummusfalafelLevantmusakhanAfghanArmenianMizrahiAzerbaijaniCentral AsianSyrianJordanianPalestinianTurkishKurdishlahmajounza'atarmedieval timesR. trilobatatobaccotanninsR. coriariatanninpyrogallol