From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
The dried, furry, maroon to purple fruits of Rhus coriaria, the so-called elm-leaved sumac indigenous to the Mediterranean and the Middle East that is used as a flavoring and spice. Powdered sumac is used in Middle Eastern dishes, such as kebabs and pilafs, and is an ingredient in the spice mixture za'atar; whole dried berries are soaked in liquid to make refreshing, tart and fruity-tasting beverages. In North America, Native Americans traditionally used the fruit from R. aromatica, also known as "lemon sumac", for culinary and medicinal purposes, and made poultices from the bark and leaves. Since some related shrubs (such as R. vernix, found in North American wetlands) produce toxic oils, sumac is best bought, rather than hand-harvested by amateurs.
