Adana-Style Lamb Skewers
Hand-chopped lamb and tail fat grilled on flat skewers, with warm flatbread, charred vegetables and sumac onions.
The Turkish pantry
Sumac (ground)
Ground culinary sumac, salted blends and liquid concentrates are separate product forms.
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Pure ground culinary sumac for cooking. Salted sumac blends and liquid concentrates are separate products shown only as comparisons; this guide does not advise foraging.
Types & forms
Pure ground sumac
Read the ingredient list to confirm the product.
Sumac with salt · comparison
Adds seasoning as well as tartness.
Sumac concentrate · comparison
A liquid preparation, not equal to dry ground spice.
What to look for when buying
- Buy a clearly labeled culinary product from a food supplier.
- Check for salt before seasoning the rest of the dish.
Prepare & cook
- Measure the dry spice for the sliced onions in balık ekmek.
- Taste the finished onion mixture before adding extra salt or acid.
Store it well
- Keep tightly closed in a dry cupboard away from steam and direct light.
- Use a dry spoon and discard spoiled or damp spice.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Lemon juice
Adds liquid as well as sourness and does not reproduce sumac’s color or texture; treat it as a variation.
Nutrition
No verified nutrition data is available for this ingredient.
At the Turkish table
Our fish sandwich uses ground sumac on the onion. Sumac is also sold in other forms, which need their own quantities and uses.
Cook with Sumac (ground)
Fish Sandwich
Hot mackerel in crusty bread with crisp lettuce, sliced onion, lemon and optional sumac.
Beef Döner
Thin layers of seasoned beef and mince, chilled into a roll, sliced and quickly browned in a skillet. This is a skillet adaptation of layered döner. A restaurant spit uses a different cooking process. Slice only when the roll is firm but safely cuttable; never force a knife through a solid frozen block.
Chicken Skewers
Yogurt-marinated chicken thighs grilled with peppers and served on warm lavash.
Chickpea Wrap
Warm lavash wraps soft chickpeas with sumac onions, parsley and sweet red pepper. Cumin and Turkish red pepper flakes season the filling, while olive oil softens the sharp onion mixture.
Fried Liver
Lightly flour-coated calf liver with crisp potato cubes and a sharp sumac-onion salad.
Fried Turbot
Lightly floured turbot steaks fried until golden, with sumac onions and lemon.
Grilled Bluefish
Simply grilled bluefish with lemon, rocket and sumac onions.
Lamb and Chickpea Stew
Lamb and chickpeas in turmeric broth, finished with tomato and green pepper in an earthenware casserole. This home adaptation follows the Kars lamb-and-chickpea preparation. It is distinct from other regional dishes also called piti. Use oven-safe cookware and protect the table from the hot casserole.
Roasted Pumpkin with Garlic Yogurt
Golden roasted pumpkin with garlic-lemon yogurt, toasted pine nuts, parsley and a light sprinkle of sumac.
Shepherd’s Salad
Juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, green pepper and red onion with a lemon and olive-oil dressing.
Slow-Roasted Lamb
Simply seasoned lamb slowly roasted until tender, served on pide with its cooking juices. A covered home oven followed by uncovered browning adapts the long bakery-oven preparation.