Have you ever walked round Eminönü or Kadıköy and seen these rather unprepossessing terracotta-coloured slabs hanging from the ceiling in the local shops?
They are meat called pastırma which can be made from goat or mutton but usually beef, the best hailing from Kayseri deep in the Anatolian heartland. Apparently the word and dish pastrami originates from the Turkish pastırma. Personally I don’t know anything about pastrami but I have a sneaking suspicion that any resemblance to its Turkish predecessor has long since diminished.
Briefly, pastırma is cured during a month-long process involving salting the joints on both sides, and first one side then the other being exposed and left to dry for a total of 48 hours.
This is followed by rinsing and drying again for 3-10 days depending on the weather. Further processing and drying, this time in the shade, is followed by a spicy çemen paste made from fenugreek, red pepper flakes, garlic and cumin being spread all over.
you can clearly see the çemen here |
in Namlı, a shop in Eminönü – they sell everything! |
The redder the pastırma, the fresher it is. It turns brown in time, you see. Both fresh and mature are delicious: it’s a question of taste which you prefer. You can buy it with or without the spicy paste but it seems to me that you might as well keep it as that’s where the real taste is!
the sign says Please Don’t Touch the Pastırma Gourmets don’t like machine-sliced pastırma like this – it should be sliced by hand with a sharp knife. |
you also see it sold in vacuum packs like this |
It can be served cold as a rakı meze, or hot as in this dish, for example. It’s also good for breakfast: fried eggs and pastırma/pastırmalı yumurta! Maybe you’d choose the çemensiz version – without the spicy paste – for this so that you don’t start the day reeking of garlic!
Here is another hot recipe: we think it makes a perfect winter supper dish. it smells divine while cooking, and is certainly not difficult to prepare. All you have to do is remember to get the pastırma while you’re out – get it cut thickly rather than thin like above. You’re bound to have potatoes at home. Don’t forget the rosemary as you need that taste to combine with the garlic and çemen …
here’s the rosemary, garlic cloves, and pastırma! |
- Peel and dice the potatoes. Place in a saucepan of cold water, add salt, bring to the boil and parboil ie boil for a few minutes till they start to get soft.
peeled and diced |
- Meanwhile, remove the spicy paste from the pastırma and add to the olive oil in a pan. Add the nutmeg and black pepper. Take the rosemary sprigs and hit them firmly with your fist to release the natural oils and then strip the leaves from the stalks. Add them to the olive oil too.
I hope your mouth is watering! |
- Now, strain the potatoes and place them in a deep bowl. Add your olive oil mixture and gently stir so the potatoes are thoroughly covered with it.
- Tip everything onto an oven tray or pyrex dish and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven (350F/180C).
- Bake until the potatoes start to change colour. THIS TOOK LONGER THAN THE 10 MINUTES SPECIFIED IN THE ORIGINAL RECIPE. TRY 25 MINS.
- Then add the pastırma which you have sliced thinly, stir, and bake for a further 10 minutes till cooked.
this looks so good! i am going to have to visit some of my local stores and see if they carry this. most of them are lebanese or syrian but they import items to serve other nationalities as well. i can now buy sucek at my regular grocery store!
I was so impressed that you used sucuk in your Turkish breakfast, Joyce! You have some good stores where you live!
I remember seeing pastirma hanging up when we lived in Capadoccia. Since then I've only seen the small packets in the supermarkets around here. I've been reluctant to buy it because it isn't cheap. But your recipe sounds delicious and doesn't use a large amount so I think I might well give this a try.
Did you try it, Ayak? I think even a little would do as the taste is quite strong… all that garlic, I love it!
This looks delicious! I will have to try it. Thank you.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Claudia, Thanks for the background info. on pastirma. When I lived in New York, pastrami sandwiches were a very popular and delicious delicatessen dish. (Pastrami is much fattier and less spicy than pastirma.) I confess that I've never liked pastirma nearly as much as pastrami (probably because of the missing fat!) but I think that you've convinced me to try it again. The rest of the potato recipe sounds so good, it's bound to be delicious.
Hello Senior Dogs! As I mentioned, I really don't know a thing about pastrami but I do like the Turkish version simply because it IS so spicy! And turkish potatoes always taste wonderful …
This looks absolutely delicious…..I love 'rosemary' I grow it outside in the garden and a big plant in my kitchen.
My husband buys pastirma quite often…so this is an excellent dish to try….thanks for sharing your pics and recipe….and story. 🙂
Looks so delicious Claudia; pastirma is a real treat and so wished to get in England!:) I love the cemen, spicy coating around pastirma, adds so much flavor. Enjoy all the pastirmas in Istanbul for me 🙂 x Ozlem
To my eye, your pastirma looks an awful like pastrami which we love. So I am sure that I would like the pastirma as well if we ever come across it. Have a great day.
YUM! This looks soooo good! I recently just had a pastrima ve kasarli borek from Komsufirin and I was in heaven. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Erica, özlem, Michel and Joy! thanks for your warm comments! I hope you get to try (more)pastırma soon!