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you don’t need to make a full, traditional levantine spread to use these spices.
sumac’s tart brightness and shami’s warm depth slip easily into the foods you’re already cooking. a pinch here, a shake there and they'll organically start showing up more and more in your food once they’re in your kitchen.
you set them on the counter one day, and soon enough, they’re there at breakfast, lunch, and dinner without much thought.
contemporary application ideas
sumac-spiced salmon
rub salmon fillets with olive oil, salt, and plenty of sumac. roast or pan-sear until just cooked, and finish with another sprinkle of sumac before serving.
sumac on fries
the same way vinegar cuts through fried fish, sumac’s citrusy edge lifts crispy fries. toss them while hot and fresh out the fryer with a generous sprinkle of sumac. you’ll notice it’s not just sour — it’s fragrant and almost floral.
shami in lentil soup
instead of defaulting to cumin alone, stir in a spoonful of shami spice as the lentils simmer. the cinnamon, cloves, and allspice pull the soup into something more rounded and like the soups served in winter kitchens across the levant.
shami with eggs
beat it right into the yolks for scrambled eggs, or dust over a fried egg as soon as it hits the plate. the warmth of the spices combined with the richness of the egg makes for a more balanced experience.
bright, tart, and unexpected
sometimes staple ingredients teach you something new.
we think of sumac on fattoush, in musakhan, or even sprinkled on fish (sumac-spiced salmon, to be precise). so always food. but in the summer heat, it can take on a much needed role — one that feels both surprising and obvious once you try it.
if you steep sumac in water, what you get is a liquid that has a deep coral rose color, tangy and bright, with the same citrusy lift that makes it so loved in levantine kitchens. sweeten it with sugar (or honey when still warm), pour it over ice, and you have a lemonade that doesn’t need any lemons at all.
it’s refreshing, restorative, and packed with antioxidants. long before powdered mixes and cartons in the fridge, people across the region made sherbets. we always turned to what the land offered — and in jordan, sumac was one of those gifts. this drink is inspired by ottoman-era sumac sherbet traditions, and made with our ajlouni sumac today.
this is the kind of recipe that reminds us that traditions aren’t static. they bend, stretch, and find new places in our lives. a spice that once seasoned bread and chicken now cools a hot afternoon, and still carries cultural relevance.
recipe: sumac lemonade
ingredients
preparation
step 1. boil the water, then remove from heat.
step 2. stir in the sumac. let it steep for at least an hour. for best results, cover and refrigerate overnight to infuse the flavor.
step 3. strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
step 4. add your sugar and stir until dissolved.
step 5. serve over ice, garnish with mint if you’d like, and enjoy!
so sumac’s bright, lemony tartness is as good over hot fries as it is on fattoush (and in a drink). and shami spice’s warmth turns something as simple as eggs or lentil soup into a more complex, full, and layered meal.
but outside contemporary uses and traditional recipes, these spices can even play an important substitution role. sumac’s sharpness can stand in for vinegar or citrus in a dressing when you’re out, or when you want acidity without the liquid. shami spice, with its balance of sweet and savory, can be step in where you’d normally use a single spice like cinnamon or cumin, only here it does more of the work for you. tap into your creativity, and be adventurous with these powerhouse spices!
we hope these spices bring a touch of tradition, flavor, and wellness to your table always.
peace, love, and toum,
the shawarmaji family
