Pastirma is a highly seasoned, air-dried cured meat, typically water buffalo or beef, that is found in multiple Balkan and Mediterranean cuisines under a variety of names.
Etymology and history
The dish has multiple names in a variety of cuisines. It is known as or p
asterma,
,
,
pastrma, pastourma,
[,] basdirma,
,
,
or
aboukh.
Basturma existed in ancient Armenian cuisine, where it was known as aboukh' ().[T. R. Durham. Salt, Smoke, and History // Gastronomica , Vol. 1, No. 1 (Winter 2001), pp. 78-82.]In the Middle East, basturma - spiced and wind-dried beef - is still made according to old family recipes. Of Armenian origin, this seasoned meat was carried by Turkish horsemen who allegedly wedged it between saddle and horse for extra salt and savor.
Pastırma is mentioned in Mahmud of Kashgars Diwan Lughat al-Turk and Evliya Çelebis Seyahatname.
The English word pastrami came by way of Yiddish and perhaps combined with the word salami.
Preparation and usage
Pastirma is usually made from
water buffalo or
beef, but other meats can also be used. In
Egypt, it is known as Basterma and is made not only with beef, but with the meat of water buffaloes as well.
Some pastirmas are made with horsemeat.
Different cuts of meat may be used; a single cow can produce 26 different "types" of pastirma. Fillet, shank,
leg and
shoulder cuts are used for the best quality pastirmas.
It is usually made during the months of October and November.
To make pastirma, the meat is rinsed and salted before being dried and pressed. After the first drying period, the meat is cold pressed for up to 16 hours. This aids the process of removing moisture from the meat. After the first pressing, the meat is dried for several days, during which the fats melt and form a white layer. The second press is a "hot press".
Cuisines
Pastirma is present in the cuisines of
Albanian cuisine,
Armenian cuisine, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Romanian cuisine, Bulgaria,
Egyptian cuisine, the
Kurdish cuisine,
Greek cuisine,
Cypriot cuisine,
Iraqi cuisine, the Levant, North Macedonia,
Turkish cuisine and Georgia.
[ PASTIRMA Also known as pasterma, pastarma or pastourma. Mutton, beef or goat meat marinated with strong taste, pastirma forms part of Turkish and Greek mezze and is eaten like dried ham. For more see: New Larousse Gastronomique, Hachette UK, 2018, ISBN 0600635872, p. 562.][ The Bulgarians and Serbs call it pastarma; the Greeks, pastourmas; the Azerbaijanis, bastirma; the Arabs, basterma; and the Romanians, pastrama. For more see: Robert Sietsema, New York in a Dozen Dishes, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, ISBN 0544454316, p. 112.][ The stuffing consists of what the Greeks call pastourma, known to the Turks as pastırma and to the Arabs as basturmā. For more see: Clifford Wright, Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors D'Oeuvre, Meze, and More, Harvard Common Press, 2003, ISBN 1558322272, p. 291.][The Greeks of Cappadocia have contributed in modest but distinct ways to the general food culture of modern Greece, reinforcing and adding their own nuances to the special foods of the major Christian festivals. They also claim pastirma as one of their specialities. In spite of such Byzantine precursors as apokti, it is true that the pastirma tradition has deep roots in the nomadic culture of the medieval Turks. It is highly probable that they transmitted the idea to the Cappadocians alongtime before Constantinople was conquered, and, although Constantinople knew all about pastirma from the seventeenth century onwards, it is certain that after the population exchanges of 1923 modern Greece acquired its knowledge of pastirma from the Capadocians. For more see: Gifts of the Gods: Andrew Dalby, Rachel Dalby, A History of Food in Greece, Foods and Nations, Reaktion Books, 2017, ISBN 1780238630, p. 149.]
Armenia
The cured meat, which resembles
Italian cuisine bresaola, is called
basturma (բաստուրմա) or
aboukht (ապուխտ) by
Armenians.
Some Armenian pizzerias in cities like
Yerevan,
Boston and
Los Angeles serve basturma topped pizza.
Armenian restaurants also serve basturma topped burgers,
basturma can be added to
Salad,
and basturma with
omelette is also a common breakfast item in
Armenia.
Basturma, or a basturma omelette can also be wrapped inside a lavash, alongside other ingredients like
coriander,
Chechil, and garlic
matzoon.
According to Nigol Bezjian, Armenians who survived the 1915 genocide brought basturma with them to the Middle East. Bezjian recalls that his grandmother used to prepare "basturma omelets fried in olive oil with pieces of lavash bread". He notes that Armenians from Kayseri were particularly renowned basturma producers.
Arabs mocked Armenians with phrases like "It smells like there is basturma here", referring to the strong smell of basturma that is produced by the garlic and fenugreek mixture that the meat is coated in during preservation. Shoushou, a well-known Lebanese comedian of the 1960s–1970s, portrayed a caricature of an Armenian basturma seller; he retired the character after local Lebanese Armenians complained.
In Palestine, Armenian families gather on New Year's Eve and eat traditional foods including basturma, çiğ köfte and a traditional Anatolian confection called churchkhela (քաղցր սուջուխ).
Bulgaria
Pastarma (as it is called in Bulgaria) arrived in Bulgaria in the 7th century. Specific products include Пастърма говежда / Pastarma Govezhda, which was registered as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed in the EU in 2017.
Egypt
In Egypt bastirma (بسطرمة) is customarily made from lean cuts of
beef or
water buffalo,
[ such as the eye of round or Beef tenderloin. These cuts are first cured with salt to extract excess moisture. Following the curing process, the meat is enveloped in a wet paste made with a blend of spices, including fenugreek, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and garlic, which creates a flavorful crust. The meat is then left to air-dry until it reaches a firm texture, a duration that varies with its size, and is ultimately served in thin slices.]
Turkey
In Turkish cuisine pastırma can be eaten as a breakfast dish, and it is a common ingredient in , menemen (Turkish-style shakshouka) or a variation of eggs benedict.
Pastırma can be used as a topping for hummus,
It is also a common addition to many of the traditional vegetable dishes, especially the tomato and white bean stew called kuru fasulye, but also cabbage (pastırmalı lahana), chickpeas (pastırmalı nohut), asparagus (pastırmalı kuşkonmaz)
Production
Turkey produces around 2041 tons of pastirma each year.
See also
Bibliography
-
Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1999. .
-
Maria Kaneva-Johnson, The Melting Pot. Balkan Food and Cookery, Prospect Books, 1995. .
External links
