Torshi seer

Ingredients

Garlic

• 1 kgwhole garlic heads, firm and unblemished, outer papery skin removed

Pickle

• about 1 litre grape vinegar or good white wine vinegar
• 2 tbspsalt
• 3 tbspgrape molasses or honey, optional, for the sweet version

Directions

1. Use whole heads with the cloves still joined at the base and only the loose outer papers pulled away. Whole heads are the point — separated cloves pickle much faster and never develop the same character.
2. Dry the heads completely. Any water clinging to them will cloud the vinegar and shorten the keeping.
3. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar and stir in the molasses if using the sweet version.
4. Pack the heads into a clean dry jar, pressing them in so they do not float, and pour over the vinegar until they are covered by 2 cm.
5. Seal tightly and put the jar somewhere cool and completely dark. Light is what fades the colour and slows the darkening.
6. Now leave it alone. Do not open the jar for at least a year. The garlic will slowly go from white to yellow to brown, and after several years to near black, growing sweeter and losing its raw bite entirely.
7. The Hamedan pickles that command a premium are aged seven years and longer, and the price reflects the patience rather than any technique.
8. Serve one head per person alongside rice and kabab, squeezed out of its skin like a soft paste.

Technique

• Whole heads, sealed, dark, and left. Opening the jar to check restarts nothing but does introduce air and can cloud it.
• One year is the honest minimum. At six months it is still sharp raw garlic in vinegar.
• It does not go off. A jar that has darkened over years is doing exactly what it should.

Substitutions

• Cider vinegar for grape vinegar, though grape is traditional.
• The sweet version with grape molasses matures a little faster and is milder.

Variations

• A quick version with peeled cloves is ready in a month and is a different, sharper pickle.
• Some households add a few sprigs of tarragon, though purists use nothing at all.

History

Prized garlic pickles from Hamedan are aged for seven years or more and sold at a premium.

Frequently asked questions

What is Torshi seer?

Torshi seer is a fermented & pickled from Iran: whole garlic heads aged in vinegar until soft, sweet and nearly black. Prized garlic pickles from Hamedan are aged for seven years or more and sold at a premium.

How long does Torshi seer take to make?

Torshi seer takes 30 min plus 1 to 7 years of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 1.5-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Torshi seer?

Yes, within limits. Cider vinegar for grape vinegar, though grape is traditional. The sweet version with grape molasses matures a little faster and is milder.

What is the most important thing to get right in Torshi seer?

Use whole heads with the cloves still joined at the base and only the loose outer papers pulled away. Whole heads are the point — separated cloves pickle much faster and never develop the same character.