Sumac
The Essentials
Persian medicine's cool, dry counter-weight to hot, fatty grilled meats.
Read the whole guide on one page →About 3 g/day of culinary sumac has shown modest blood-sugar and lipid benefits in trials.
Reach for sumac before salt at the table — the tart edge dramatically reduces salt cravings.
What Else to Know
This tangy crimson spice comes from dried sumac berries, and Persians have sprinkled it over kebab and rice for centuries. Modern research is now exploring its antioxidant and blood-sugar effects.
Known to botanists as Rhus coriaria.
Antioxidant tannins (plant compounds that give a dry, puckering taste) and anthocyanins (the natural colour pigments that make fruit red, purple or blue).
Studied for healthy blood-sugar response. Brightens digestion of fatty foods. Cooling counter to warming meats.