Tursu
|
Turşu seller from Turkey | |
| Course | Hors d'oeuvre |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Middle East & Balkans |
| Main ingredients | Vegetables, garlic, brine or vinegar |
 Cookbook: Turşu  Media: Turşu | |
Turşu (Egyptian Arabic: ترشى torshi, Persian: ترشى torshi; Kurdish: ترشى Tirşîn, tirşî; Turkish: turşu; Greek: τουρσί toursi; Bulgarian: туршия turshiya; Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian: turšija/туршија ; Albanian: turshi Hebrew: חמוצים, khamusim) are the pickled vegetables of the cuisines of many Balkan and Middle East countries. The word torshi comes from torsh, which means 'sour' in Persian, Kurdish, and Azerbaijani.
Torshi is common in Albanian, Afghan, Armenian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Egyptian, Greek, Iranian, Israeli, Kurdish, Macedonian, Iraqi, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Serbian, and Turkish cuisines. Iran boasts a great variation of hundreds of different types of torshi according to regional customs and different events. In some families, no meal is considered complete without a bowl of torshi on the table. In Bulgarian cuisine the most popular types are tsarska trushiya 'king's pickle' and selska trushiya 'country pickle'. Toursi is a traditional appetizer (meze) to go with arak, rakı, ouzo, tsipouro, and rakia. In some regions the torshi water (turşu suyu) is also drinkable and very popular in Turkey.
Making tursu at home is still a widespread tradition during the autumn months, even in the big cities. Tursu is often served in restaurants or it can be bought ready to eat from supermarkets.
Recipes
Turşu is made with garlic, chili peppers, celery, cauliflower, carrots, beets, shallots, cabbage, aubergines (eggplant) and other vegetables, and dried aromatic herbs pickled in vinegar, salt, and different spice mixtures, which usually include whole black peppercorns, ginger, etc. Persian style turşu includes more vinegar, while Turkish style turşu includes more salt as an antibacterial agent.
Turşu liteh is made with eggplants and herbs (parsley, coriander, mint, tarragon, basil.) Eggplants are baked in the oven, put in a glass jar with herbs and vinegar, and stored in a cool, dry place for two to three months.
Tsarska trushiya is made with cauliflower, red peppers, carrots, and celery. The vegetables are mixed with some salt and sugar and left overnight. The next day the juice is mixed with vinegar and boiled for several minutes. The vegetables are put in glass jars and pressed down with cherry twigs and a round river stone, then the jars are filled with the cooled pickle marinade.
Selska trushiya is made with green peppers, green tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, and celery. The vegetables are put in a container, pressed down with some twigs and a stone, and a marinade made of salt, vinegar and water is poured on. The pickles are left to ferment.
See also
External links
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
