Mixed Spices

The brick red powder is made by crushing the dried fruits of the sumac bush. The brick red powder is made by crushing the dried fruits of the sumac bush. How To Use Sumac: Add it to salad dressings or the salads themselves, in fact, add it wherever you would use lemon or lime. It's great on fried fish and on the chips too; rice dishes; and Middle Eastern fare such as houmous, bean or chick pea salads. It's a great lifter of sandwich fillings and something as simple as cheddar and sumac is a winning combination. Sumac is not usually cooked with but can be and its reduced flavor brought to life by serving the dish with more sumac to sprinkles.