Air-dried beef under a fenugreek paste crust, sliced very thin. Refugees from Asia Minor brought it to Greece after 1922, and the çemen crust comes straight from the Ottoman pastırma tradition.
It is a whole-muscle cure dried at ambient temperature for weeks, where the salt has to reach the centre before anything else does; the drying conditions are the method, not the crust.
What goes into it
- beef, whole muscle
- coarse salt
- fenugreek flour
- garlic
- paprika and hot pepper
- cumin
How it is made
The muscle is buried in salt for several days, washed and pressed under weights to force out remaining moisture, then hung to dry for a week or two. It is coated thickly in a paste of ground fenugreek, garlic and spices and hung again until the crust hardens and the meat is firm all the way through.
How long it takes: three to six weeks
How it is eaten
Sliced paper-thin as meze, fried with eggs, or in a sandwich with tomato.
History
Brought to Greece by refugees from Asia Minor after 1922; the fenugreek çemen crust comes from the Ottoman pastırma tradition.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pastourmas?
Pastourmas is a charcuterie & cured from Greece: air-dried beef coated in fenugreek paste, sliced very thin. Brought to Greece by refugees from Asia Minor after 1922; the fenugreek çemen crust comes from the Ottoman pastırma tradition.
How is Pastourmas made?
The muscle is buried in salt for several days, washed and pressed under weights to force out remaining moisture, then hung to dry for a week or two. It is coated thickly in a paste of ground fenugreek, garlic and spices and hung again until the crust hardens and the meat is firm all the way through. It takes three to six weeks.
Can I make Pastourmas at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a whole-muscle cure dried at ambient temperature for weeks, where the salt has to reach the centre before anything else does; the drying conditions are the method, not the crust.
What goes into Pastourmas?
Beef, whole muscle, coarse salt, fenugreek flour, garlic, paprika and hot pepper, cumin.
How is Pastourmas eaten?
Sliced paper-thin as meze, fried with eggs, or in a sandwich with tomato.
