Ingredients Across Borders: Sumac

Ingredients Across Borders was a series of two workshops inspired by themes in An Immigrant Alphabet and presented in collaboration with The Free Library Culinary Literacy Center

Our second workshop highlighted sumac, a significant ingredient in cuisines of the Americas and the Middle East. Chef Anan Zahr showed everyone how to prepare musakhan, a popular farmer’s dish from Palestine, that is traditionally made during olive oil pressing season to celebrate the harvest. Musakhan features sumac-roasted chicken with fresh bread and onions sauteed in extra virgin olive oil.

Participants also learned how to make traditional Palestinian chopped salad and hummus through hands-on instruction and enjoyed samples alongside the musakhan. Food, stories, and memories were shared around a communal table, connecting meals to home and place while learning about the roots and routes of the key ingredient.