Pastirma

PastirmaorPasterma,also calledpastarma,pastırma,pastrma, pastourma,basdirma,basterma,basturma,oraboukhis a highly seasoned, air-driedcuredbeefthat is found in the cuisines ofAlbania,Armenia,Azerbaijan,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Romania,Bulgaria,Egypt,Kurdish region,Greece,Cyprus,Iraq,the Levant,North Macedonia,TurkeyandGeorgia.
Basturmaexisted in ancientArmenian cuisine, where it was known asaboukh'(Armenian:աբուխ).The wordabookhd(Classical Armenianapukht) was already used in theArmenian translation of the Bible, in the fifth century AD, meaning “salted and dried meat”.
Pastırmais mentioned inMahmud of Kashgar's Diwan Lughat al-Turk andEvliya Çelebi'sSeyahatname.According to Turkish scholar Biron Kiliç, the term is derived from the Turkic nounbastırma, which means "pressing".TheOxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drinkwrites thatpastırmais the word theOttomansused for a type ofByzantinecured beef that was calledpaston(παστόν).According to Johannes Koder, an expert in Byzantine studies,pastoncould mean either salted meat or salted fish, whileakropaston(ἀκρόπαστον) means salted meat.Andrew Dalbygives the definition ofpastonas "salted fish" andakropaston apakinas "well-salted fillet steak".Gregory Nagygives the definition ofakropastonas "smoked", describingapakinas "a kind of salami sausage, probably similar to pastourma".TheOxford Companion for Foodsays that a Byzantine dried meat delicacy was "a forerunner of the pastirma of modern Turkey".
The English wordpastramicame by way ofYiddishand perhaps combined with the wordsalami.
Pastirma is usually made fromwater buffaloorbeef, but other meats can also be used. InEgypt, it is known as Basterma and is made not only with beef, but with the meat of water buffaloes as well.Some pastirmas are made with horsemeat.Different cuts of meat may be used; a single cow can produce 26 different "types" of pastirma.Fillet,shank,legandshouldercuts are used for the best quality pastirmas.It is usually made during the months of October and November.
To make pastirma, the meat is rinsed and salted before being dried and pressed. After the first drying period, the meat is cold pressed for up to 16 hours. This aids the process of removingmoisturefrom the meat. After the first pressing, the meat is dried for several days, during which the fats melt and form a white layer. The second press is a "hot press".Finally, the dried and pressed meat is covered with a spice paste calledcemen.Cemenis made from a paste consisting ofcaraway,paprika,blue fenugreek,fenugreek,black pepper,allspice,cumin,cayenne,saltand mashed garlic.The dried product is covered with the wet paste and left to dry again. The entire process takes approximately one full month.Pastirma is classified as an "intermediate moisture food". Lowering the moisture level is a form of food preservation that hinders the growth ofmicroorganisms, and thecemenpaste "is used to control surface mold growth during storage".Other functions of thecemeninclude improved flavor, characteristic red coloring, prevention of further drying, and antimicrobial effects.
Today, pastirma is present in the cuisines ofArmenia,Egypt,Turkey,Bulgariaandthe Levant.
The cured meat, which resemblesItalianbresaola, is calledbasturma(բաստուրմա) oraboukht(ապուխտ) byArmenians.Some Armenian pizzerias in cities likeYerevan,BostonandLos Angelesserve basturma topped pizza.Armenian restaurants also serve basturma topped burgers,basturma can be added tosalads,and basturma withomeletteis also a common breakfast item inArmenia.Basturma, or a basturma omelette can also be wrapped inside a lavash, alongside other ingredients likecoriander,chechil cheese, and garlicmatzoon.
According to Nigol Bezjian, Armenians who survived the1915 genocidebroughtbasturmawith them to the Middle East. Bezjian recalls that his grandmother used to prepare "basturma omelets fried in olive oil with pieces oflavashbread". He notes that Armenians fromKayseriwere particularly renownedbasturmaproducers.
Arabs mocked Armenians with phrases like "It smells like there isbasturmahere", referring to the strong smell ofbasturmathat is produced by the garlic and fenugreek mixture that the meat is coated in during preservation.Shoushou, a well-known Lebanese comedian of the 1960s–1970s, portrayed a caricature of an Armenianbasturmaseller; he retired the character after localLebanese Armenianscomplained.
InPalestine, Armenian families gather on New Year's Eve and eat traditional foods includingbasturma,çiğ köfteand a traditional Anatolianconfectioncalledkaghtsr sujukh(քաղցր սուջուխ).
Pastarma (as it is called in Bulgaria) arrived in Bulgaria in the 7th century. Specific products include Пастърма говежда / Pastarma Govezhda, which was registered as aTraditional Speciality Guaranteedin the EU in 2017.
InTurkish cuisinepastırma can be eaten as a breakfast dish, and it is a common ingredient inomelettes,menemen(Turkish-styleshakshouka) or a variation ofeggs benedict.
Pastırmacan be used as a topping forhummus,pidebread,hamburgers,and toasted sandwiches with eithercheddar cheeseorkasar cheese. It can be as a filling for abörekthat is made withkadayıfinstead of the traditionalfilodough.It may be combined with potato to make a filling for traditionalböreksas well.
It is also a common addition to many of the traditional vegetable dishes, especially the tomato andwhite beanstew calledkuru fasulye, but alsocabbage(pastırmalı lahana),chickpeas(pastırmalı nohut),asparagus(pastırmalı kuşkonmaz)andspinach(pastırmalı ıspanak).It can also be used to make cheesy pull-apart bread.
Turkeyproduces around 2041 tons of pastirma each year.The pastirma from Kayseri is particularly well known. In their 1893 report the British Foreign Office note that Kayseri, which they call Cesarea, "is specially renowned for the preparation ofbasturma(pemmican)".