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This spice comes from the berries of a wild bush that grows in all Mediterranean areas, especially in Sicily and southern Italy, and parts of the Middle East, notably Iran. It is an essential ingredient in Arabic cooking, being preferred to lemon for sourness and astringency. The berries are dried and crushed to form a coarse purple-red powder. Sumac is used widely in cookery in Arabia, Turkey and the Levant, and especially in Lebanese cuisine. In these areas it is a major souring agent, used where other regions would employ lemon, tamarind or vinegar. It is rubbed on to kebabs before grilling and may be used in this way with fish or chicken. For fish, make a paste with Equagold's Vanilla Grapeseed Oil and spread over the fish, then pan fry. The juice extracted from sumac is popular in salad dressings and marinades and the powdered form is used in stews and vegetable and chicken casseroles. Equagold's Sumac is imported from Syria and is the finest quality.