Pekmez
Pekmez (Turkish: pekmez, from Oghuz Turkic bekmes [1][2], Azerbaijani: bəkməz/doşab) is a molasses-like syrup obtained after condensing juices of fruit must, especially grape by boiling it with a coagulant agent like wood ashes or ground carob seeds. It is used as a syrup or mixed with tahini for breakfast. In Azerbaijan, pekmez is also mixed with natural yogurt and consumed as a refreshment during summer time.
History
Fruit molasses, defrutum, goes back to the classical period.[3]
Regional variants
In Turkey, sugar beet (şeker pancarı), figs (incir) or mulberry (dut) are often used, as well as juniper berries (andiz). Pekmez made from carob (keçiboynuz or harnup) is popularly recommended as a treatment for iron deficiency anemia.[clarification needed] In Azerbaijan, pekmez is made mostly from mulberry, grape, rosehip or pomegranates.
In the Balkans, it is more jam-like in texture and usually made of plums. In Greece, it is called petimezi (πετιμέζι).
In Arab cuisine, dibs or dibis is made from pomegranates, grapes, carob,[4] or dates.[3]
See also
References
- ^ TDK Online - Pekmez entry [dead link]
- ^ Nisanyan.com - Etymological Dictionary - Pekmez [dead link]
- ^ a b Alan Davidson, ed., The Oxford Companion to Food
- ^ Maan Z. Madina, Arabic-English Dictionary, s.v.
Further reading
External links
Media related to Pekmez at Wikimedia Commons
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