First sumac berries are dried then they are crushed to make the spice. However, fresh sumac berries are sometimes also used to make a juice.
Middle Eastern cuisine – add a lemony taste to salads or meat *Arab cuisine – a garnish on mezze dishes such as hummus and added to salads in the Levant *Iranian (Persian and Kurdish) cuisine – added to rice or kebab.
Traditionally, sumac was also used as a medicine. In medieval times it was used to treat about half a dozen ailments. Research has found sumac to have antimicrobial properties. Research further suggests that it may be used to treat and prevent hyperglycemia, diabetes and obesity due to hypoglycemic properties. Recent research suggests that sumac has antioxidant properties. In one experiment, the drinking water of animals was supplemented with sumac, and it was found that there was less oxidized DNA bases in their colons, livers, lungs and lymphocytes.