For years I avoided recipes that called for sumac, or relied on poor facsimiles using lemon juice.
Every time I saw sumac in an ingredients list I would immediately begin to itch. I couldn't help but think of poison sumac and its itchy associates, poison ivy and poison oak.
But my qualms were needless. And so are my fears of poison sumac — it doesn't grow in Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Native Plant Society; and its berries are white.
Today sumac is one of my favorite spices. I use it almost as much as cumin and dried chiles. It adds a vibrant, tart, citrusy punch to whatever you sprinkle it on. Look for it at Middle Eastern grocers and some specialty stores.
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