Sumac

Sumac is a mediteranean spice that has a reddish color, and a taste that is hard to describe. to me i get hints of lemon and other citrus from it but it is very calm and mellow. i have had some at home for a while from a company called penzeys. i am huge fan of them as most of the blends they carry dont have any sort of salt in them which is a huge plus for a seasoning freak. anything that you can imagine they have, they are an Amaerican company, and sell really high quality stuff and sell it in a a large variety of sizes as well. you can of course find them online, but if you can swing it they have shops around the country, and you can go in and actually smell and look at each spice they sell. a really nice perk for me. again i have had it for a while but someone on a tv show i watch used it the other day and i love when things like that happen as it tends to bring things out of obscurity a bit. i did a sumac and salted piece of king salmon that was seared to medium rare over a bed of asparagus rissoto. gorgeous dish. i encourage you to think about expanding your horizons when it comes to herbs and spices because when used effectively they can up your cooking ante quite a bit. you dont need to go all out ( i have about 15 spices and herbs i use on a regular basis) as that will help you to keep things moving through inventory. i use fresh herbs when i find it appropriate, but i dont really find it that appropriate all that often.