Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 kggreen peppers, pricked
- 800 gwhite cabbage, in wedges through the core
- 600 ggherkins
- 500 gcarrots, in thick batons
- 400 ggreen tomatoes
- 1cauliflower, in large florets
Brine
- 4 litreswater
- 200 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 5% of the water’s weight
Aromatics
- 2 headsgarlic, cloves peeled
- 3 tbspblack peppercorns
- 2 tbspcoriander seed
- 6bay leaves
- 1 bunchcelery with leaves
- 3hot chillies
- 1horseradish root, sliced
Directions
- Wash the vegetables and cut them large — wedges and thick batons. Small pieces go soft long before the winter is out, and the point of turshija is that it is still crunchy in February.
- Prick the whole peppers two or three times so the brine can reach inside them.
- Dissolve the salt fully in the water and weigh it. Five percent is what protects the barrel through the weeks before the acidity builds, and it is the one number that has to be right.
- Pack everything into a scrubbed barrel or a large jar with the garlic, peppercorns, coriander, bay, celery, chilli and horseradish distributed through, pressing down to drive out air pockets.
- Pour over the brine so everything sits at least 3 cm below the surface, and weight it all down.
- Cover loosely so gas escapes and leave at cool room temperature, around 18°C (64°F), for three to five weeks.
- Skim any white film off the surface as it appears. A thin white bloom is harmless kahm yeast; coloured fuzzy mould means something rose above the brine.
- Taste from week three. When it is properly sour and still crisp, move it somewhere cold. It keeps through the winter as part of the zimnica store.
Technique
- Non-iodised salt, weighed. Iodine holds back the bacteria you are relying on.
- Cool room, not warm. At 25°C (77°F) it sours in ten days and goes flabby.
- Fill the barrel before the first frost, when the vegetables are at their best.
Substitutions
- Green beans, small aubergines or unripe watermelon, all pickled this way in the Balkans.
- Grape or oak leaves, whose tannins keep everything firmer.
Variations
- A vinegar turshija is much faster and keeps indefinitely, but it is sharp rather than sour.
- The Bulgarian turshiya, Bosnian turšija and Greek toursi are the same preserve.
History
A staple of Macedonian zimnica winter stores; the word comes from Persian torshi, sour, through Ottoman Turkish.
Frequently asked questions
What is Turshija?
Turshija is a fermented & pickled from North Macedonia: peppers, cabbage and gherkins soured in barrels for winter. A staple of Macedonian zimnica winter stores; the word comes from Persian torshi, sour, through Ottoman Turkish.
How long does Turshija take to make?
Turshija takes 45 min plus 3 to 5 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 5-litre barrel. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Turshija?
Yes, within limits. Green beans, small aubergines or unripe watermelon, all pickled this way in the Balkans. Grape or oak leaves, whose tannins keep everything firmer.
What is the most important thing to get right in Turshija?
Wash the vegetables and cut them large — wedges and thick batons. Small pieces go soft long before the winter is out, and the point of turshija is that it is still crunchy in February.
