Tursu

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 300 gsmall cucumbers
• 300 ggreen tomatoes
• 200 gcarrots, in batons
• 200 gcabbage, in wedges
• 150 ggreen peppers, pricked
• 150 ggreen beans
• 1whole head garlic, cloves peeled
• a few sprigs dill

Brine

• 1.5 litreswater
• 60 gcoarse non-iodised salt — a 4% brine
• 150 mlwhite vinegar
• 1 tbspchickpeas, optional

To serve

• the brine itself, in a small glass
• grilled meat, beans, rakı

Directions

1. Wash everything and leave it whole where you can. Prick the cucumbers and peppers several times with a needle so the brine gets inside — unpricked they float, stay raw in the middle and go hollow.
2. Dissolve the salt in the water to a 4 percent brine and stir in the vinegar. Four percent is the working figure for Turkish turşu: weaker and the jar goes soft, stronger and the ferment stalls.
3. Pack the vegetables tightly into a clean jar with the garlic and dill, hardest vegetables at the bottom.
4. Add the chickpeas if you like — an old Anatolian habit that gives the lactic bacteria a little starch to start on and gets the ferment moving faster.
5. Pour the brine over to cover by 3 cm and weigh everything down. Nothing may sit above the brine.
6. Cover loosely and keep at room temperature out of direct sun. Loosen the lid daily for the first week to let gas escape — a tightly sealed jar of turşu can build enough pressure to break.
7. The brine will turn cloudy and start to fizz within a few days. That is the ferment working.
8. Taste from three weeks. It is ready when the vegetables are sour through and still have snap.
9. Move to a cool place or the fridge, where it keeps six months.
10. Drink the brine in a small glass alongside — turşu suyu is sold by the glass in Turkish pickle shops and is half the reason people go.

Technique

• Four percent brine, everything submerged, lid loosened daily at first.
• Prick the cucumbers and peppers.
• Cloudy fizzing brine is right. Slimy brine or fuzzy mould means the jar goes out.

Substitutions

• Any firm vegetable — cauliflower, beetroot, unripe plums, almonds in the shell.
• A ziplock bag of brine as a weight.
• More vinegar and less time for a quick pickle, though it will not be a ferment.

Variations

• Beetroot turşu, which stains the whole jar deep red.
• The Balkan turšija and Levantine kabees are the same craft along the old Ottoman roads.

History

Winter preserving craft of Anatolian households; dedicated turşucu shops sell dozens of pickles plus brine by the glass.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tursu?

Tursu is a fermented & pickled from Turkey: vegetables brined with garlic and vinegar; the sour juice drunk from glasses. Winter preserving craft of Anatolian households; dedicated turşucu shops sell dozens of pickles plus brine by the glass.

How long does Tursu take to make?

Tursu takes 40 min plus 3 to 4 weeks of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 2-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tursu?

Yes, within limits. Any firm vegetable — cauliflower, beetroot, unripe plums, almonds in the shell. A ziplock bag of brine as a weight. More vinegar and less time for a quick pickle, though it will not be a ferment.