sumac ink

Ingredients

sumac spice, water, gum arabic, vitriol

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The author tested the recipe in ʿUmdat al-kuttāb. 30 g of sumac spice was placed in 180 g of water and heated to boiling. It was cooked 'until the red appears'. After 15 minutes of cooking, the solution was strained through gauze. 12 g of gum arabic was added and allowed to dissolve (approximately one day). Finally, 6 g of vitriol was added, causing the liquid to blacken immediately (p. 140).

Evidence

"I put 30 g of sumac spice in 180 g of water and heated it until it reached boiling point. [...] I then added the vitriol and the liquid blackened immediately. After 6 g, the solution was very dark with some nuances of red-violet."

Remarks

Although sumac (summāq) is traditionally used as a red dye or spice, this replication confirms its role as a tannin source for black iron gall ink. The author notes that while Ibn Bādīs and al-Malik al-Muẓaffar classified it as a 'colored' (red) ink, al-Marrākušī correctly recorded it among black inks, likely having tested its reaction with vitriol (p. 141).