The craze for turşu started originally with cucumbers, large and small, as well as vegetables like cabbage but then this craze leapt into the arena of foods including cherries, rosehips and almonds. In fact, even eggs started being pickled. And nowadays, you don't have to wait for months -- until turşu season -- to get your fill of delicious pickled foods. You can now pickle your food of choice and have it ready to offer your guests the next day.Time for turşu
Preparations for the upcoming winter continue at full speed these days. Some are busy making jams and jellies, while others store their homemade tomato paste. Some are even making conserves, while others are rolling and cutting their homemade “erişte,” or noodles, to be stored and used later. But no matter what region you are talking about in Turkey, there is one taste that you will find on every home's table and on the top of people's list of their favorite things to eat: turşu. For some, the quest for great turşu is summed up in the question: “Shall we make our turşu using lemon juice or vinegar?” In fact, this famous question was even the subject of a “turşu fight” between Adile Naşit and Münir Özkül in “Neşeli Günler,” a family comedy film made by Yeşilçam.
In any case, as we enter into this season when winter preparations are moving ahead quickly and furiously, we thought we would provide you with some reminders about making good turşu at home, for those of you who want to try it. We also thought we'd give you a list of great places to buy your turşu, if the thought of preparing it yourselves makes you wince.
Fine points for making your own turşu
The third generation owner of Cihangir's Asrî turşu -- which is where the turşu scenes in “Neşeli Günler” were filmed -- is Cenk Cemil Toydemir. He first touches on the whole question of lemon juice versus vinegar, and he says, “We make our turşu using lemon juice.” Toydemir explains that the question of which of these ingredients to use is really a question of personal taste and of course experience. As for Özgür Arı, the owner of Petek Turşu -- which has been making turşu for years now at Beyoğlu's historic fish market -- he says: “No one should fight over this. Those who prefer lemon [juice] should use lemon [juice], and those who prefer vinegar should use vinegar. We actually vary these ingredients according to which vegetable we are using.” As for the owner of Ankara's Azeri Turşu, İsmail Öz, he notes, “In inner Anatolia, people use vinegar, while in the Aegean and Marmara regions, people prefer lemon juice.” No matter what the preferences on this matter are though, below are some fine points for making turşu that these turşu experts can all agree on:
Make sure the vegetables you chose for your turşu are firm, fresh and have gleaming skins. Your turşu will last longer if your vegetables are fresh. Make sure you also use large-grained salt when making your turşu, as finer-grained, refined table salts speed up the softening of the turşu.
Pay attention to how much salt you are using. Too little salt can lead to unwanted bacteria and too soft turşu.
In order for the turşu to become sour enough, it needs to be stored in an area between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius for around four to six weeks.
After the turşu is ready, store it in a cool place. If a film of yeast forms over the top of the turşu, simply clean it off.
Storing your turşu in a cool environment increases its shelf life. Toss a few chickpeas into your jar of turşu if you want it to become sour more quickly.
Also try putting a few bay leaves into your jar of turşu before tightening the lid if you want it to pick up a wonderful smell. Note: Some of the vegetables that definitely call for vinegar as opposed to lemon juice are eggplant, small cucumbers and beets. Some of the vegetables that call for lemon juice are cabbage and red cabbage.
How do you make fruit turşu?
Some of the colorful fruit turşus that have gained popularity in recent years are banana, cherry, plums and rosehips.
In order to make fruit turşu, you need one kilogram of fruit, 50 grams of salt, two teaspoons of sugar, vinegar according to taste and water.
Turşu recipes
A ‘come hither' turşu: We got this recipe from Süheyla Şentürk, who lives in Ankara. The reason this is known as a come hither turşu is that it looks so attractive on the plate, whetting peoples' appetites before they have even tasted it.
Ingredients: Six kilograms of tomatoes, one glass of oil, one teacup of vinegar, 200 grams of pepper, five heads of garlic.
Preparation: Boil the tomatoes, then plunge them into cold water and peel them. Cut the tomatoes into small and delicate pieces. Take your peppers and divide them into two or cut them also into small pieces. After adding the garlic to this mix, put all the ingredients into a five-kilo jar. Put in salt according to taste and then place the turşu in the refrigerator, where it should wait for one month. You might want to serve it up to accompany meat dishes.
Red pepper turşu
Ingredients: Five kilograms of red peppers (the kind used in making dolma), one teacup of vinegar, one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of salt, one water glass of oil, three heads of garlic.
Preparation: First gently grill the skins of the peppers, and after removing the inside seeds and such, place them into a jar. Then add the other above-listed ingredients and close the jar tightly. Let this wait at least one day, although after 24 hours have passed, you can enjoy this turşu.
Grilled eggplant turşu
Ingredients: Two kilograms of eggplants, two kilograms of red peppers, 300 grams of green peppers, one teaspoon of tomato paste, one head of garlic, salt.
Preparation: Grill the skins of the eggplants and the peppers (do this either in a Teflon pan or in the oven) and then pass these through a blender. Sauté all the ingredients in a Teflon pan and then place them in a jar. Let this all sit in boiling water for about 10 minutes. This is a turşu that, if you make it in the morning, should be ready by that night.
Where to get some great turşu
Asrî Turşu: Since 1913, this place has been very famous for its eggplant turşu. Located in Cihangir, İstanbul. Tel: 0212 244 47 24
Petek Turşu: Founded in 1992, in is located in Beyoğlu's fish market. Tel: 0212 249 13 24
Soydan Turşu: These turşu experts have been in business since 1935, and you can find them in Ortaköy, Beşiktaş, Şişli and Bakırköy. Tel: 0212 259 32 02
Pelit Turşu: Serving turşu fans for 58 years, it is located in İstanbul's Kurtuluş neighborhood. Tel: 0212 232 66 30
Vonalı Celal: You can get a full 101 varieties of turşu in this place founded in 1974 and located in Ordu and İstanbul. Ordu Tel: 0452 587 21 37, İstanbul Tel: 0212 516 18 93
Azeri Turşu: This has been a favorite of Ankara turşu lovers since 1958 and is located on Ankara's Emek 4th Street. Tel: 0312 222 93 27
Hüsmen Ağa Turşucusu: Another very famous Ankara spot for turşu lovers. Tel: 0312 433 67 33
İçenbilir Hacı'nın Yeri: It has been serving Adana residents since 1947. Tel: 0322 457 90 71
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