Sumac is a spice typically found in Middle Eastern cooking. The berries possess a tangy, sour and earthy flavor, ideal for boosting brightness and acidity in dishes in the same way that vinegar or lemon does.
There are approximately 250 species of sumac in the world. Species with red berries, produce edible berries, while species with white berries, including poison ivy or poison oak, have poisonous berries. Please do not pick the white berries of a sumac plant and try to ingest them!! Instead, purchase edible sumac at your local spice store. The two spice shops that I highly recommend are Arome and Penzey’s Spices, both of which carry sumac.
The two most common varieties of sumac used for culinary application are the Fragrant Sumac and Smooth Sumac. Give either variety a try in this simple popcorn recipe and I promise you, you’ll be adding sumac to all of your dishes in the future.
To make this popcorn, pop ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels in the microwave, on the stove or in an air popper (whichever method you prefer). I use this really cool popcorn popper made by Salbree that my mom bought me a few years back. You simply add popcorn kernels to the popper, put it in the microwave, and minutes later you have freshly popped popcorn. It’s a really cool gadget. Check it out on my Shop page.
Anyways…back to the recipe. A ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels will give you about 8 cups of popped corn. Put popcorn in a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, melt four tablespoons of butter, then stir in 1½ teaspoon dried sumac powder and 1½ teaspoon dried dill. Drizzle butter mixture over popcorn and enjoy! I guarantee you’ll be wanting a second batch as soon as the first batch is gone.
Popcorn with Sumac and Dill
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup popcorn kernels
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tsp dried sumac powder
- 1 ½ tsp dried dill weed
Instructions
- Pop popcorn in air popper, microwave or over stove.
- Melt butter in a small sauce pan.
- Once melted, add spices to butter and swirl to mix.
- Drizzle butter mixture over popcorn and stir to incorporate.
