Hi Party. I use Sumac in place of lime or lemon juice in soups. I use za'attar in my version of homemade salsa, with dried chiles, garlic fresh cilantro, onion, tomato, lime juice and a tiny bit of sugar. Just taste each one and close your eyes, imagine what flavors it would pair with in any dish...pizza, any kind of topping on fresh bread with olive oil, which is how Za' Attar is used in its native lands, I think.

Classic use of za'atar is in olive oil for dipping pita or various hard flatbreads or crusts. Given that, read the ingredients if you have a label, or put a pinch in your hand and try to see what's there. You can use the blend anywhere you'd like those flavors. On eggs or pancakes, in meatloaf or burgers, in a crust for chicken, anywhere you'd like. Premixed usually has sesame seeds, so can go rancid fairly easily. Have a sniff and a taste before ruining something if it's on that road.

Sumac is often used at the table to brighten up stews and braises, and just about anything else. I sometimes put it in chicken salad. Just try a little on a portion of something. If you like it, try a bit more. It loses its edge in cooking, but plays well with others.

These are ways to "Americanize" them, of course. There is a whole world of recipes from the Middle East that use both. I'd recommend Lebanese for a jumping off point.

Za'atar most often includes sumac. I don't find most za'atar vey agressive in flavor. Usually mild and a well balanced combination of spices. I make my own. About a pint at a time and leave out the sesame. Toast sesame at the time of using fresh. Sesame is oily and can go rancid rather quickly.

Best first use is on a naan or similar flat bread. Brush naan with yogurt,(or mayo), then a good heap of za'atar, rub with olive oil. Toast in oven like a pizza. Serve with brothy soups or best is hummus.

Excellent in meat balls, meatloaf, dry rub on chicken, pork, braised pork shoulder.

A good recipe...SeriousEats zaatar flatbread

I also make my own za'atar and store it in the freezer, which is where I also store sesame seeds.

Sumac is generally served with rice in Persian and Armenian restaurants.

Here is my favorite recipe using sumac:

Algerian Roast Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
  1 teaspoon of sumac
  1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
  1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• 3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
  1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
• 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
  4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbecue, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal

Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs.

Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired.

Place the chicken on the barbecue and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat.

Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings.

Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh.

Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.

Serve with roasted potatoes, green salad, and French or Italian bread.

I've been adding sumac to my egg salad and tuna salad. It adds a nice sort of citrusy note.

Dorie Greenspan uses both sumac and za’atar in her Mediterrean Shepherd’s pie, which is out of this world! https://foodschmooze.org/recipe/dorie-greenspans-mediterranean-shepherds-pie/

Sumac is in the spice mix for Lar's Algerian Chicken, which I've been making to rave reviews for years (thanks Lars!) It's also in the dressing recipe for fattoush salad, which DH is very fond of.

Our favorite Mediterranean restaurant makes a really good tomato and onion relish to go with their Turkish cigars (basically rolled spankopita). I've tried to get the recipe over the years and once in awhile I can get a bit of information. One night our server spilled that he uses sumac in it. Now I just need to find out if he uses sweet onions or soaks them in something because they're really mild.

I have both in my spice drawer....off to search that Algerian chicken.

Za'atar is also very good on baked aubergines or other veggies.

Thanks, everyone, for all the helpful suggestions!

KatieC, scroll up to find the Algerian chicken recipe.

Lars, I'm looking for your Algerian chicken recipe too. Scroll up where? I'm not finding it. :p

I posted this as a stand alone post twice this morning, and both posts seem to have disappeared... so weird. Anyway,

Algerian Roasted Chicken

Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi

1 whole chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sumac
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs. Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or
finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired. Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat. Baste the chicken every 15
minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh. Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.

Here is a copy of the post:

3 days ago

last modified: 3 days ago

I also make my own za'atar and store it in the freezer, which is where I also store sesame seeds.

Sumac is generally served with rice in Persian and Armenian restaurants.

Here is my favorite recipe using sumac:

Algerian Roast Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
  1 teaspoon of sumac
  1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
  1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• 3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
  1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
• 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
  4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbecue, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal

Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs.

Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired.

Place the chicken on the barbecue and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat.

Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings.

Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh.

Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.

Serve with roasted potatoes, green salad, and French or Italian bread.

I also use sumac in Lars' Algerian Chicken, which is good both hot and as leftovers. I did "forage" some staghorn sumac last year, dried and powdered it and ended with with a quart jar full. I think I may have over done it a little.

Here hikers pick the staghorn sumac berries and make "lemonade", they stuff a sprig of the berries into their water bottles and it gives a nice citrus flavor.

Here is the Algerian Chicken recipe that I have on file:

Algerian Roasted Chicken -- Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi

1 whole chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sumac
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs.

Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired. Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh.

Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.

Annie