Sumac unlocks the flavor in this Turkish chickpea salad and a lot more

How to describe sumac?

It’s awfully tempting to refer to it as lemony, but I think that sells this spice – a Middle Eastern staple – woefully short. Sumac, ground from a berry, is more than tart. It’s also a little floral, a little fruity and a little earthy, maybe something like Meyer lemon mixed with Aleppo pepper. And it possesses a gorgeous deep purple color.

My favorite thing about it, beyond the flavor, is that it’s shelf-stable. So even though I use it in plenty of Middle Eastern dishes, sumac is also at home anywhere I would have put a lemon if I hadn’t used them all up in something else. Roasted vegetables, tofu, salad dressings, grain salads: I haven’t met a dish that couldn’t welcome sumac.

Özlem Warren knows the power. “I do have a love affair with sumac,” the Turkish cookbook author and teacher tells me in a Zoom interview from her home outside London. In Turkey, cooks have access to whole sumac berries, and Warren remembers their use in making cordials and a sumac water for flavoring dolma, stuffed vegetables and more.

Warren wrote her beautiful new book, “Sebze: Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen,” to counter the misconception that her homeland’s cuisine is little more than meat kebabs. And boy, does she succeed, with page after page of such vibrant recipes (cabbage rolls with pomegranate molasses and bulgur; garlicky mushrooms with peppers and olives; coiled phyllo pie with zucchini, dill and feta) that I practically had to read every word before I could decide on what to make first.

One of Warren’s favorite uses for ground sumac is to rub it with salt into onions to include in one of Turkey’s bean salads. The idea of scrunching and squeezing the red onion slices as they wilt reminded me of massaging kale into submission for a more tender salad, so I tried her recipe for Chickpea Salad With Sumac Onions. It’s just what I’m into these days: a no-cook dish as the heat of August sticks around, and something that can sit for days in the fridge and only get better with time.

Besides, Warren and I share something other than a connection to the Middle East. We both advocate getting your hands dirty when preparing food. “It’s just a very satisfying experience,” she says. “When you’re touching your food, you’re feeling it and understanding the texture. It’s a very pleasant experience.”

It’s also often the most efficient way to achieve a goal. The rubbing action not only wilts the onions; it also infuses them with sumac’s delightfully complex flavor, while taming some of their sharpness. That makes the sumac so important to this dish that, unlike with most recipes, I’m not suggesting any substitutes for it. Could you make it with lemon or vinegar? Could you use a spoon to toss the onions instead of rubbing them? Of course, but you’d be missing out on everything that makes this salad special.

Chickpea Salad With Sumac Onions

Adapted from “Sebze: Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen” by Özlem Warren (Hardie Grant Books, 2024).

This refreshing variation on Turkey’s classic bean salad, fasulye piyazi, uses chickpeas along with tangy sumac-infused onions. The sumac, which is not just sour but also fruity and a little floral in flavor, is crucial to this dish. Rubbing the sumac and salt into the onion slices causes them to wilt and pick up maximum flavor, so don’t skip it.

INGREDIENTS

1 large red onion (10 ounces), halved and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons ground sumac, plus more for serving

¾ teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste

Two (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas (3 cups total), drained and rinsed

2 medium ripe tomatoes (12 ounces total), cored and cut into ½-inch dice

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice

3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

½ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the onion, sumac and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Use your hands to rub the sumac and salt into the onion slices, massaging them until the onions wilt, about 5 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, bell pepper, scallions and parsley, and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper until combined. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper as needed.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to mix well. Sprinkle with more sumac and serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings (makes about 10 cups)