Sumac is a Mediterranean shrub or small tree whose fruits, dried and ground, have been used since antiquity as a sour-flavoured spice.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Sapindales |
| Family | Anacardiaceae |
| Genus | Rhus |
| Species | Rhus coriaria |
It is a deciduous shrub, sometimes growing as a small tree, with leaves made up of several toothed leaflets. In summer it produces panicles of small, greenish flowers, followed by clusters of round, flattened, reddish little fruits covered in a sour down.
It is native to southern Europe and western Asia, including the eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus and northern Iran, and has become naturalised across much of the Mediterranean basin.
Its scientific name, «coriaria», refers to its traditional use in tanning hides, thanks to its high tannin content. Its dried, ground fruits give rise to the spice known as sumac, widely used in Middle Eastern cooking, for example in the za'atar blend.
