Sumac Cucumbers

Pair crisp cucumber slices with tangy sumac, fresh parsley, lemon juice, and a generous helping of olive oil to make fresh sumac cucumbers. And for all you cucumber lovers, try cucumber beet salad and cucumber carrot salad!

What is Sumac?

Sumac (summāq) means dark red in Arabic, and it is a spice used in Middle Eastern cuisine to garnish and flavor meals like fattoush and sumac onions. It comes from sumac berries, which are dried and ground into a coarse red powder for culinary purposes. Like fresh lemons, ground sumac has a tart and slightly sweet flavor, and it’s an excellent way to add acidity to recipes without using citrus.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Cucumber: Look for firm, crisp cucumbers without soft spots or blemishes. Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers work well for this recipe.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice from one lemon is all you need.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley adds color and complements the cucumber flavor.
• Spices: Season the fresh cucumbers with ground sumac and salt. Sumac is a floral spice found online and in health stores. However, I recommend visiting a local Middle Eastern grocery store to explore. The ground-up sumac berries give the dish its signature color and flavor. 
• Olive Oil: Massage the cucumbers with a generous amount of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Additions and Substitutions

• Add vegetables like juicy tomatoes and onions, or you can include fresh herbs such as mint leaves or dill.
• Some sumac cucumber recipes call for red wine vinegar or pomegranate molasses instead of lemon juice.
• Include a pinch of ground Aleppo pepper or Urfa pepper flakes for even more flavor and a bit of heat.

Expert Tips

• Uniformly slice the cucumbers into rounds using a sharp knife or a mandoline.
• Let the sumac cucumbers marinate for at least 30 minutes, letting the flavor of the ingredients combine. 

If you enjoy the side dish, pair it with one of these dinner recipes!

Tantuni

Roasted Chicken

Adana Kebab Tarifi

Serving Suggestions

Marinated sumac cucumbers often accompany meat dishes like Adana kebab, al faham chicken, and lamb shoulder chop, but they are an excellent addition to salad. You can brighten any meal with this healthy side dish. Try them with beef seekh kabobs, falafel gyro, joojeh kabob and BBQ baked chicken legs.

What to do with the Leftovers

• Refrigerate: Store the leftover cucumbers in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Mediterranean Recipes:

• Skhug
• Shakshuka
• Biwaz