Sumac
A tangy crimson spice from the Rhus genus, essential in Middle Eastern cuisine.
The species Rhus coriaria is most commonly used as a spice, especially in Middle Eastern cuisine.[1] Roughly 35 flowering plant species belong to the genus Rhus within the Anacardiaceae family, which also includes cashews and mangoes.[1]
Quick Facts
- Type species
- Rhus coriaria
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The generic name Rhus derives from Ancient Greek ῥοῦς rhous, of unknown etymology.[2] One classification uses two subgenera, Rhus (about 10 species) and Lobadium (about 25 species).[3] Molecular phylogeny research shows that Rhus sensu stricto appears monophyletic.[3] Small five-petaled flowers are arranged in dense panicles or spikes.[1]
According to Plants of the World Online, 54 species are accepted as of November 2024.[4] Toxicodendron vernix, known as poison sumac, contains the allergen urushiol and bears white drupes, distinguishing it from true Rhus species.[5]
What the cited sources add
The BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database records that the Cherokee used Rhus glabra berries to make black and red dyes.[6] The same database notes that the Chippewa used Rhus glabra fruit to make a dull red dye.[6] The BRIT database also records that the Cherokee used Rhus typhina berries to make black and red dyes.[7] The BRIT database records that the Apache, Chiricahua and Mescalero ground Rhus trilobata fruits with mescal, dried and stored them.[8]
The database also notes that the Cahuilla used Rhus trilobata thin, pliable stems for the woof in baskets.[8] The database records that the Algonquin people of Quebec made a beverage by steeping Rhus typhina berries in water, sweetening it with sugar, and consuming it like lemonade.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Sumac" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sakhr, "Physiochemical properties and medicinal, nutritional and industrial applications of Lebanese Sumac (Syrian Sumac - Rhus coriaria): A review", Heliyon, January 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumac" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ῥοῦς", LSJ; Totelin, "Hippocratic Recipes: Oral and Written Transmission of Pharmacological Knowledge in Fifth- And Fourth-Century Greece", BRILL, 2009, p. 146; "Rhus | Definition of Rhus by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Rhus", Lexico Dictionaries | English (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumac" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Miller et al 2001; Pell 2004; Andrés-Hernández Terrazas 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumac" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rhus" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumac" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Poison sumac", Encyclopedia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database, Rhus glabra". facts only, no text reused. naeb.brit.org
- "BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database, Rhus typhina". facts only, no text reused. naeb.brit.org
- "BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database, Rhus trilobata". facts only, no text reused. naeb.brit.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sumac (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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