Sumac

Sumac is a very interesting plant genus. This fruit is from the Staghorn sumac - a common variety across eastern Canada. It is the shrub (in clumps) that blazes red in the fall along our highways.

It is closely related to the sumac found in the Mediterranean which is used extensively in Arabic cooking for its sourness and astringency. If you ever eat Persian food you will see a jar of it on every table to sprinkle on rice and meat.

The fruit from Staghorn sumac is also edible and used by First Nations people to make a "lemonade" of sorts or to smoke together with tobacco. I tried the seeds and like its taste. Other related plants in the genus are Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac.