Toursi

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 600 gsmall green peppers, pricked
• 400 gwhite cabbage, in wedges through the core
• 400 ggreen tomatoes
• 300 gcarrots, in thick batons
• 200 gcelery with leaves

Brine

• 2.5 litreswater
• 125 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 5% of the water’s weight

Aromatics

• 1 headgarlic, cloves peeled
• 2 tbspblack peppercorns
• 1 tbspcoriander seed
• 4bay leaves
• 2hot chillies
• 1 bunchdill

Directions

1. Wash the vegetables and cut them large — wedges and thick batons rather than slices. Small pieces go soft within weeks and the point of a good toursi is the crunch in February.
2. Prick the whole peppers two or three times so the brine reaches inside them.
3. Dissolve the salt completely in the water and weigh it. Five percent is what protects the jar in the days before the acidity builds, and it is the one number here that has to be right.
4. Pack everything into a clean jar with the garlic, peppercorns, coriander, bay, chilli and dill distributed through, pressing down to drive out air pockets.
5. Pour over the brine so everything sits at least 2 cm below the surface and weight it down. Anything above the brine will mould, which is the only real way this fails.
6. Cover loosely so gas escapes and leave at cool room temperature, around 18°C (64°F), for three to four weeks. It will cloud and bubble in the first week.
7. Skim off any white film as it appears — that is harmless kahm yeast. Coloured fuzzy mould means something rose above the brine.
8. Taste from week three. When it is properly sour and still crisp, move it somewhere cold for the winter. Serve with grilled meat, beans and ouzo.

Technique

• Non-iodised salt, weighed. Iodine inhibits the very bacteria you are relying on.
• Cool room, not warm. At 25°C (77°F) it sours in ten days and goes flabby.
• Fill the jars before the first frost, which is when the vegetables are at their best and the kitchen is at the right temperature.

Substitutions

• Cauliflower, green beans or small aubergines, all of which are pickled this way in northern Greece.
• A few grape or oak leaves, whose tannins keep everything firmer.

Variations

• A vinegar toursi is much faster and keeps indefinitely, but it is sharp rather than sour.
• The Turkish turşu and Bulgarian turshiya are the same preserve.

History

Greek household pickling, especially in the north, where jars are filled before the first frost.

Frequently asked questions

What is Toursi?

Toursi is a fermented & pickled from Greece: brined peppers, cabbage and green tomatoes eaten with meat and ouzo. Greek household pickling, especially in the north, where jars are filled before the first frost.

How long does Toursi take to make?

Toursi takes 40 min plus 3 to 4 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 3-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Toursi?

Yes, within limits. Cauliflower, green beans or small aubergines, all of which are pickled this way in northern Greece. A few grape or oak leaves, whose tannins keep everything firmer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Toursi?

Wash the vegetables and cut them large — wedges and thick batons rather than slices. Small pieces go soft within weeks and the point of a good toursi is the crunch in February.