Sumac
Spice & roots· spice

What it is
Sumac is the dried, ground berry of Rhus coriaria, a shrub grown across the Middle East and Mediterranean.
What it tastes like
On the nose: camphor, citrus. Among its measured molecules: thujone, precocene I, allyl p-methylbenzyl ether, isocaryophyllene, (Z,Z)-alpha-farnesene.
What goes with it
- Gingerboth carry 1,8-cineole, camphorcite
- Makrut limeboth carry beta-pinenecite
- Sweet basilboth carry 1,8-cineole, camphorcite
Salt and acid
Salt
Salt not measured yet.
Acid
Acid not measured yet.
Unusual pairings
Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.
- Sumac + Sage
both carry 1,8-cineole, camphor (43 of 338 carry it)
- Sumac + Black pepper
both carry limonene, lemon (126 of 338 carry it)
- Sumac + Fennel seed
both carry limonene, lemon (126 of 338 carry it)
23 of 50 compounds on file carry a paper the library can cite.
naphthalenearomahydrocarbonreads as aromatic odor (PubChem)Measured in 2 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.00% in the Egyptian commercial sample, 15.88% (+/-4.18) in the Jordanian commercial sample -- the single largest named peak in the Jordanian accession per the paper's own abstract, and essentially unique to it. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Naphthalene' (Aromatics))1,8-cineolearomaterpenoidreads as camphor-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 38 of 338 ingredients.cite
7.27% (+/-2.98) Egypt, 3.25% (+/-0.81) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Cineole' (Oxides))linaloolaromaalcoholreads as spicy, citrus taste (PubChem)Measured in 91 of 338 ingredients.cite
3.38% (+/-1.17) Egypt, 1.84% (+/-1.60) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'β-Linalool' (Alcohols))alpha-pinenearomaterpenoidreads as odor of turpentine (PubChem)Measured in 71 of 338 ingredients.cite
4.05% (+/-1.55) Egypt, 1.98% (+/-0.15) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'α-Pinene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))furfuralaromafuranreads as almond-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 33 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.32% (+/-0.34) Egypt, 3.73% (+/-3.26) Jordan in the dried, unroasted commercial samples. The paper's own text notes furfural rises sharply upon roasting (to 34.37% in the roasted Palestinian sample, a Maillard-type transformation) -- that roasted figure is not cited as its own row since it is measured on the fresh, not dried-commercial, accession. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Furfural' (Furan/aldehydes))γ‑terpinenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 44 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.66% (+/-0.43) Egypt, 0.29% (+/-0.25) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'γ-Terpinene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))o-cymenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 11 of 338 ingredients.cite
7.73% (+/-1.27) Egypt, 4.25% (+/-1.87) Jordan -- the single largest named peak in the Egyptian accession per the paper's own abstract. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'O-Cymene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))thujonearomaterpenoidMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.93% (+/-0.59) Egypt, 0.89% (+/-0.77) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row '3-Thujanone' (Ketones))beta-pinenearomaterpenoidreads as terpene odor (PubChem)Measured in 55 of 338 ingredients.cite
1.79% (+/-1.46) Egypt, 0.50% (+/-0.44) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'β-Pinene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))beta-ocimenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 8 of 338 ingredients.cite
7.50% (+/-0.80) Egypt, 3.83% (+/-2.93) Jordan -- one of the three chief monoterpene components the paper's own text names for Egyptian sumac, alongside o-cymene and limonene. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'β-Ocimene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))limonenearomaterpenoidreads as pleasant lemon-like (PubChem)Measured in 91 of 338 ingredients.cite
7.36% (+/-3.63) Egypt, 3.36% (+/-0.73) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Limonene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))precocene IaromaterpenoidMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
1.70% (+/-2.45) Egypt, 0.29% (+/-0.25) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Precocene I' (Ethers))1,3,8-p-MenthatrienearomaterpenoidMeasured in 4 of 338 ingredients.cite
1.42% (+/-0.19) Egypt, 0.81% (+/-0.71) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row '1,3,8-p-Menthatriene' (Monoterpene hydrocarbon))allyl p-methylbenzyl etheraromaMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
4.46% (+/-1.37) Egypt, 0.89% (+/-0.29) Jordan -- a distinctive aromatic ether contributing a notable share of the ether class total. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Allyl p-methylbenzyl ether' (Ethers))longifolenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 3 of 338 ingredients.cite
4.42% (+/-0.52) Egypt, 5.23% (+/-0.81) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Longifolene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))caryophyllenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 50 of 338 ingredients.cite
4.46% (+/-1.37) Egypt, 5.29% (+/-1.33) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Caryophyllene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))β-farnesenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 12 of 338 ingredients.cite
6.05% (+/-1.69) Egypt, 6.58% (+/-1.94) Jordan -- one of the largest sesquiterpene peaks in both commercial samples. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row '(E)-β-Famesene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))humulenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 26 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.93% (+/-0.50) Egypt, 1.48% (+/-0.40) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'α-Humulene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))isocaryophyllenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
4.42% (+/-0.52) Egypt, 5.26% (+/-0.81) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Isocaryophyllene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))(Z,Z)-alpha-farnesenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
6.02% (+/-1.98) Egypt, 7.62% (+/-1.97) Jordan -- the largest single sesquiterpene by area percentage in the Jordanian commercial sample. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row '(Z, Z)-α-Farnesene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))germacrene DaromaterpenoidMeasured in 18 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.83% (+/-2.38) Egypt, 2.46% (+/-3.56) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Germacrene D' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))β-bisabolenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 10 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.93% (+/-0.50) Egypt, 1.64% (+/-0.27) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'β-Bisabolene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))AromadendrenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 5 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.15% (+/-3.04) Egypt, 3.70% (+/-5.72) Jordan. — Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ (Table 1, row 'Aromadendrene' (Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon))
On file, no cited source yet ✳
These molecules are on record for it from the library's earlier sources. We are buying and requesting the papers; each one that lands moves its molecule up into the cited list.
- 1.Xi.,6.xi.,7.xi.-cadina-4,9-dieneterpenoid
- delta-cadineneterpenoid
- Polystachosidesugar
- ethyl gallateester
- geranylacetoneketone
- 10-epi-alpha-cadinolalcohol
- tannic acidphenolreads as astringent taste (PubChem)
- 3-[(2R,3S,4R,5S)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-[(1S)-1-hydroxyethyl]oxolan-2-yl]oxy-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxychromen-4-oneflavonoid
- α-copaeneterpenoid
- 8-[5-(5,7-Dihydroxy-4-oxochromen-2-yl)-2-hydroxyphenyl]-5,6,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-oneflavonoid
- 4,10,11,11-tetramethyltricyclo[5.3.1.01,5]undecaneterpenoid
- nonanalaldehydereads as orange-rose odor (PubChem)
- digallic acidester
- gallic acidacid
- quercetinflavonoid
- rutinflavonoid
- kaempferolflavonoid
- agathisflavoneflavonoid
- amentoflavoneflavonoid
- hinokiflavoneflavonoid
- myricetinflavonoid
- myricetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosideflavonoid
- farnesylacetonealdehyde
- hexanalaldehydereads as sharp, aldehyde odor (PubChem)
- (1E,3Z,6E,10E)-3,7,11-trimethyl-14-propan-2-ylcyclotetradeca-1,3,6,10-tetraeneterpenoid
- methyl gallateester
- Trigallic Acid
Sources
- Farag et al. 2018, PeerJ