What is Urfa biber?
Urfa Biber is a Turkish chile pepper that’s typically bought as a crushed seasoning. What is Urfa Biber? Urfa biber, also called urfa pepper or isot pepper, is a salty, spicy, deep maroon Turkish chile pepper sold in flakes. Urfa refers to the region where the pepper is grown, and biber means pepper in Turkish.
What is Urfa pepper used for?
Urfa refers to the region where the pepper is grown, and biber means pepper in Turkish. The uses for this spice are limitless, from seasoning for braised meats and roasted vegetables, to standing in anywhere you’d use crushed red pepper. Urfa pepper has a delicious flavor that can add depth and spicy, smoky nuance to any dish.
Where is Urfa located?
Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features extremely hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. About 12 km (7 mi) northeast of the city is the famous Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, the world's oldest known temple, which was founded in the 10th millennium BCE.
What do Urfa peppers look like?
Urfa peppers start out looking like something between a pretty big bell pepper and a poblano. Farmers harvest them when they're orange-red or darker red. In order to get really nice flavor out of them, they dry them out in the sun during the day.
What does Urfa taste like?
The taste of Urfa biber is described as smoky and earthy but with subtly sweet and acidic undertones of raisin, chocolate, or coffee. Urfa biber reaches 30,000 to 50,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, which measures heat of chile peppers. This makes Urfa biber about as spicy as cayenne peppers.
Is Urfa pepper spicy?
Urfa biber is less spicy than many other chili peppers, but provides a more lasting build of heat. The pungency of the urfa biber is 7,500 SHU on the Scoville scale. It is traditionally used in Turkey in meat and savoury foods.
What is Urfa used for?
Urfa biber hails from Turkey ("biber" means "pepper" in Turkish), where it's used in all manner of kebabs (lamb in particular), either with intensely-spiced ground meet or whole chunks. Urfa also takes well to other nightshades like red peppers and eggplants, especially when they're roasted.
Is Urfa pepper the same as Aleppo pepper?
What's the difference between Urfa Biber and Aleppo Pepper? Aleppo pepper is a Syrian pepper flake that's bright red and has a moderate amount of heat. Urfa Biber (isot pepper) is a Turkish pepper that's darker red and has deeper, smokier heat.
What does Urfa chili taste like?
Urfa Biber (commonly referred to as Urfa pepper) is a Turkish chile pepper that's distinctive for its dark burgundy color, irregularly sized flakes and intriguing salty-sweet-smoky-sour flavor.
How hot is Urfa pepper?
50,000–80,000 Scoville Heat UnitsUrfa biber is very hot. It rates 50,000–80,000 Scoville Heat Units, making urfa biber hotter than chipotle peppers (2,500—8,000 SHU) and cayenne peppers (30,000–50,000 SHU).
How do you use Urfa chili?
How to Use Urfa Biber. Urfa biber can add heat and deep chile flavor to any dish. Sprinkle it on vegetables while cooking; blend into homemade salad dressings; season braising liquid when slow cooking meats; use it to bring new life to leftover pizza — the possibilities are endless.
How do you pronounce urfa biber?
Pronunciation(Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈɜːfə ˌbibə/, /ˈʊəfə ˌbibɛə/(General American) IPA: /ˈɚfə ˌbibɚ/, /ˈʊɹfə ˌbibɛɹ/
Is Urfa kebab spicy?
It is among the popular dishes in the country in general. The most obvious difference between these two flavors that Adana kebab is spicy and Urfa kebab is not spicy.
What is similar to Aleppo pepper?
Substitutes for Aleppo PepperHungarian Sweet Paprika.Cayenne Pepper.Crushed Red Pepper.Ancho Chile Powder.
What are Turkish peppers?
Tyrkisk peber (Danish for "Turkish pepper", often referred to as turkinpippuri in Finnish, Türkisch Pfeffer in German, tyrkisk pepper in Norwegian and turkisk peppar in Swedish) is a salty liquorice candy flavoured with salmiac (ammonium chloride), produced by the Finnish company Fazer and popular in Northern Europe.
What are Turkish red pepper flakes?
A traditional Turkish condiment of salted and oiled flakes of dried red pepper. Pul Biber's mildly spicy, warming fruity flavour makes it ideal for adding to marinades for roast lamb or chicken, sprinkling over fried eggs or avocado toast and into dressings for summer salads.
What do you use urfa biber for?
Urfa biber can add heat and deep chile flavor to any dish. Sprinkle it on vegetables while cooking; blend into homemade salad dressings; season braising liquid when slow cooking meats; use it to bring new life to leftover pizza — the possibilities are endless.
What is Aleppo pepper substitute?
Substitutes for Aleppo Pepper Use a combination of mostly hungarian sweet paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper to achieve a very close substitute to the real thing.
How do you pronounce urfa biber?
Pronunciation(Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈɜːfə ˌbibə/, /ˈʊəfə ˌbibɛə/(General American) IPA: /ˈɚfə ˌbibɚ/, /ˈʊɹfə ˌbibɛɹ/
What is isot pepper used for?
The irregular shaped flakes of Urfa biber, also known as Isot pepper, are a versatile condiment that can be sprinkled on cheese, salad, or vegetables of any kind for a new distinct flavor. They might become a favorite condiment in your kitchen.
What Does Urfa Biber Taste Like?
Urfa Biber is spicy, salty, and slightly sour. Thanks to the sun-drying process, there’s also a hint of smokiness. In addition, the pepper is earthy with notes of chocolate, tobacco, and a slight raisin-like sweetness. The heat of the fresh pepper is mild when fresh, and intensifies during the drying process. The flaked pepper clocks in at 30,000-50,000 Scoville Heat Units.
How long does urfa biber stay in the pantry?
Keep crushed urfa biber in an airtight container, and store in the pantry away from light and heat. It should stay potent for at least eight months.
Where do Urfa biber chile peppers come from?
The pepper is cultivated in the Urfa region of southern Turkey, near Syria, and turns from dark green or bright red to deep red as it ripens on the plant. It’s then sun-dried during the day and tightly wrapped in fabric or plastic to “sweat” at night, preserving the pepper’s natural oils on its skin. The pepper is then crushed and packed with salt to prevent caking, maintaining a slightly moist, oily texture. It’s perfect for use as a seasoning on a variety of dishes, but is traditionally used on lamb or sauteed with tomatoes and eggplant.
Can you use urfa biber flakes in place of black pepper?
Use it in most recipes in place of crushed red pepper or black pepper for deeper flavor. It's important to note that because urfa biber flakes are packed with salt, so reduce the salt in your recipe accordingly. Getty Images / SabirBabayev. Getty Images / Nadore. Getty Images / Nadore.
Where does the urfa biber come from?
Urfa biber is a spice consisting of dried Turkish chile peppers. "Biber" means pepper in Turkish and Urfa indicates the geographical origin of the pepper. Urfa is a city in southeastern Turkey not far from the border between Syria and Turkey. The chile peppers are grown in the surrounding region of Şanlıurfa.
Which is lighter, Aleppo or Urfa?
And Aleppo pepper is lighter in color than Urfa biber. In addition to Urfa biber there are two other popular Turkish peppers: Kirmizi and Maras. Kirmizi pepper (Aci pul biber in Turkish) has a finely flaked consistency and a fruity, hot-and-sweet flavor.
What to put Urfa biber on?
Add Urfa biber to meats such kebabs or steak, roasted chicken, stuffed or roasted vegetables, rice, or to season chickpeas and other legumes. You can also sprinkle it on mezze like hummus or baba ghanoush to add heat and another dimension of flavor.
What does Urfa biber taste like?
Urfa biber reaches 30,000 to 50,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, which measures heat of chile peppers. This makes Urfa biber about as spicy as cayenne peppers. Interestingly, the fresh peppers aren't spicy ...
How long does urfa biber last?
Because of its oil content, it does not keep as long as other spices. The average shelf life for Urfa biber is about eight months.
What is the chewy consistency of urfa biber?
This drying process is what gives Urfa biber its chewy consistency. After the chile peppers are fully dried, they are ground to a flaky consistency with a small amount of salt and vegetable oil. The salt is not added for flavor but rather to prevent the flakes from clumping together. urfa biber, turkish pepper, on a plate.
How spicy is Urfa biber?
Urfa biber reaches 30,000 to 50,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, which measures heat of chile peppers. This makes Urfa biber about as spicy as cayenne peppers.
Why is Urfa so rare?
It’s very rare to see a whole dried Urfa, because they're generally processed right away. Producers coarsely grind the peppers and add a touch of salt, not so much for flavor but to avoid chunks forming in packaging. That’s a sign of an improperly packed spice—if it becomes one big block or is full of lumps.
What is the flavor of Urfa pepper?
Such is the case with Urfa Biber (commonly referred to as Urfa pepper), a Turkish chile pepper that's distinctive for its dark burgundy color, irregularly sized flakes and intriguing salty-sweet-smoky-sour flavor. It's quickly becoming a go-to ingredient for chefs across the country. For a bit of background on this beguiling spice and tips on how to use it, we turned to expert Lior Lev Sercarz, who owns New York City's spice mecca La Boîte and sources hard-to-find ingredients for chefs like Eric Ripert. Sercarz recently began offering monthly spice-blending classes to the public and is currently "spending late nights reading about the history of spices" for his second book, an illustrated encyclopedia of seasonings that will come out in 2016.
What does dried Urfa taste like?
The flavor of dried Urfa is just spectacular. It has these notes of chocolate and wine tannins—there's a lot of depth, with a very pleasant heat. They’re not completely sweet. Something about the oiliness and the heat and the deep red color—it’s one of those things that you can pretty much add to anything.
Discovery
The statue was found during construction work, and the exact location of the find has not been properly recorded, but it may have came from the nearby Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site of Urfa Yeni-Yol. This is not far from other known Pre-Pottery Neolithic A sites around Urfa: Göbekli Tepe (about 10 kilometers), Gürcütepe.
Context
Before the Urfa Man, numerous small-sized statuettes are known from the Upper Paleolithic, such as the Löwenmensch figurine (c.40,000 BC), the Venus of Dolní Věstonice (c.30.000 BC), the Venus of Willendorf (c.25000 BC) or the realistic Venus of Brassempouy (c.25000 BC).
