Eat This Word: Urfa Biber
Fri, February 9, 2018
WHAT? A spicy, smoky, sweet, salty, and sour pepper. Urfa biber is a dried Turkish chile pepper that is commonly used instead of black pepper in Turkey. The peppers start out looking somewhat like the love-child of a bell pepper and a poblano, but after drying in the sun during the day and being wrapped at night, they are often processed into a paste. Unlike most peppers that are allowed to dry entirely from the sun, urfa biber is wrapped up at night, allowing the moisture left in the not-yet-dried part of the pepper to seep into the flesh of the dry pepper. When done, the pepper appears as a deep, almost black shade of purple and is tasty on practically anything. The spice level of urfa biber is less intense than other peppers as the heat is released in a slow manner that builds, but that doesn’t stop it from being the perfect accompaniment to savory meats. In Turkey, the pepper is sometimes mixed with cumin, sesame seeds, onion, or paprika, but there’s no right or wrong pairing with urfa biber: we have yet to find a combination that wasn’t delicious. Good on cooked foods or raw vegetables, we are all about this unique flavoring.
WHERE? L’Artusi Reboot
WHEN? Thursday, March 29, 2018
HOW? Bay Scallop Crudo with Meyer Lemon and Urfa Biber