Sumac

This whole roasted fish recipe is the perfect place to put the trinity of sumac, lime, and yogurt to work.

This makes a simple and hearty one-pot meal. The meat becomes fork tender and the stock simmers down to a rich sauce. Leftovers are terrific served over corn cakes.

Our new favorite pot roast is just a pile of veggies. Here, carrots get a fresh wake-up from a combination of bright, lemony sumac, funky anchovies, and sweet spring onions.

Unlike a strongly acidic lemonade or limeade, this sumac syrup is tart but mild. The saffron and cardamom are pounded to release their color and flavors into the hot syrup.

Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a tart, lemony flavor and the most beautiful deep red color. More commonly used in savory dishes, its citrus fragrance also works just as well in a sweet cake. The spelt flour gives this vegan number a rustic look and nutty taste, producing a delightfully crunchy crust that hides a soft, moist crumb underneath, with chunks of sweet apple running all the way through.

Quinoa and baked fish are well seasoned with tangy sumac, tart lime, and garlic in this Persian-inspired dinner.

An outer coating of sumac-sugar gives these slice-and-bake cookies a bright pop of flavor that balances the rich, buttery shortbread.

Herby, tangy, nutty, and slightly salty, this Middle Eastern blend of herbs and spices elevates every dish it touches

Toss sweet melon and crisp cukes in a bright coriander-cardamom dressing for a refreshing and delicious summer salad.

This psychedelic Mediterranean-inspired salad marries bright, fresh ingredients with sweet, earthy roasted beets and perfectly cooked eggs. It tastes as good as it looks on the plate, and all the ingredients make for good snacks.

Given my very high regard for a grilled naked lamb chop, all juicy and charred, when I do go for something more elaborate, it's got to be worth it. This dish is. Here, the meat is coated in toasted whole spices—fennel, coriander, and cumin seeds—that have been very lightly crushed. The seeds retain their texture, giving the meat both a heady scent and a good crunch. For serving, a tahini-lemon sauce adds a rich nuttiness, while a dash of sumac provides its berrylike tartness.

Acidity helps preserve the alliums’ flavor; either vinegar or citrus juice would do the trick.

Kohlrabi is underappreciated and misunderstood. But we've decided it's got our favorite crunch: sweet, dense, and snappy (think broccoli stem).

This obviously isn't really a shawarma—there is no lamb and no fat—but it is a way of slow-cooking cauliflower that makes it feel substantial and tasty enough to warrant the association.

As much as I like tabbouleh, to me fattoush has more zing—plus it's less time-consuming to make and more adaptable. Here's one version of fattoush you'll encounter all over Lebanon, but in any home or restaurant you'll notice slight variations, depending on the season or the cook's palate. You can either deep-fry or toast the pita croutons that give the salad its special character; the fried bread will taste better, but toasted is, obviously, healthier. When tomatoes are out of season, I like to substitute cherry or grape tomatoes since they're likely to be juicier and more flavorful. If you can find purslane, use it (a cup or two, chopped); it adds authenticity and a nice peppery bite.

This refreshing chilled purée wakes up your palate with a jolt of sweet pepper essence, cooling yogurt, and the ubiquitous Middle Eastern spice sumac. Sumac is made from the dried berries of a sumac tree, and in the Middle East it’s sprinkled over everything from kabobs to yogurt to rice. The dark-crimson powder lends an acidic, lemony flavor to this soup.

My translation of one of Mom’s great recipes, this dish quickly became a favorite among the regulars at my restaurant Rendezvous du Monde. Sumac is a spice used in marinades and salads throughout the Middle East. It has a tangy, citrusy flavor and adds a beautiful pinkish hue to the chicken. It’s worth seeking out sumac, but if you can’t find it, the recipe will still be delicious. Serve with buttered couscous or grilled country bread drizzled with the pan juices.

Cold meat, a gentle touch, and wet hands are the secrets to successfully shaping these kebabs. There are a few ingredients that may seem a bit peculiar, but I assure you they’ll make sense once you take a bite. The pistachios add a welcome touch of crunch, and sumac—a tart, slightly astringent spice available at any Middle Eastern market—lends the perfect bright boost of flavor. Serve with rice pilaf, pita bread, and Sriracha Tzatziki (page 23).

These very thin, soft breads, which you can roll up, are like Bedouin skillet breads. They work very well for me in a skillet, and I finish them under a broiler, but you can also bake them. For the topping, you can buy ready-made zaatar mixtures, which contain thyme and the tangy spice sumac, in Middle Eastern stores. You need only add olive oil. But it is easy enough to make your own zaatar mix at home. My favorite is simply thyme and sesame seeds with salt and olive oil. The quantities here make for a richer than usual topping. Serve the breads for breakfast, with labneh (see page 112), as a snack with a salad, or as an appetizer, cut into wedges.

Poussins in this country tend to have a somewhat bland flavor, but with lemon, sumac, and olive oil they are a treat.

This pie with a beguilingly flavorsome filling is a refined interpretation of musakhan, which is of Bedouin origin and is baked in thin Arab bread. It is delicious, and you must try it. It can be made in advance and reheated before serving. Use the large-size sheets of fillo (about 19 inches × 12 inches) that are sold frozen, and defrost for 2 to 3 hours; see page 9 for information about using fillo.

With just the right balance of sweetness from the pomegranate juice and sour notes from the sumac, this layering of flavors accomplishes the enviable task of enhancing the flavor of the steak without overpowering it.

This Middle Eastern spice mixture is so delicious we suggest doubling the recipe and using the extra for a snack: Dunk some bread (such as pita) in flavorful olive oil and then in the za'atar. Or sprinkle za'atar over plain yogurt and drizzle with olive oil, and you've got a terrific dip.