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Ayntab – Cuisine
Author: Sonia Tashjian
The City of Ayntab was built on a plateau at an altitude of 1,500-1,900 meters above sea level, surrounded by hills and mountains. The area’s climate was temperate and salubrious – warm in the summer, cold in the winter, more continental than coastal, with medium humidity and moderate amounts of rain. However, occasionally the area was susceptible to torrential downpours on the one hand, as well as periodic periods of drought on the other.
The area of Ayntab was not blessed with much fertile land. There were large fields and orchards in the valleys and highlands around Ayntab, but their fate was closely tied to the rains and weather patterns. There were some small streams and canals in the fields, and the rare wells that had been dug into the ground to access groundwater, which were used to water orchards of fruit-bearing trees. Despite all efforts, the local harvest was never enough to satisfy the local demand, and food was imported from Berejig and Hromlage (Roumkale). On the other hand, every home in Ayntab had a garden, where one could find grapevines, fruit trees, and other plants and herbs. Sumac grew on the flanks of the city’s limestone hills. In the countryside surrounding the city, villagers grew pears, almonds, pomegranates, apricots, walnuts, etc. The Sajur Valley was fertile, and various cereals, vegetables, and fruit trees thrived there.
The markets featured many shops selling produce and food, including butchers’ shops, bakeries, confectioneries, shops that sold assorted nuts, and an arak distillery. There was also a thriving market in kitchen utensils, including clay, varnished pots, plates, etc. There were also craftsmen who worked bronze and pewter, and produced wares of various types, including tubs, pots, braziers, samovars, specialized items for use in distilling arak, etc. The blacksmiths produced many items for daily use, including spoons, ladles, plates, pails, and water pumps.
One of the interesting customs of Ayntab involved the milling of harvested wheat. There were several devlibs in the city, where the wheat was wetted and the husks were removed. Devlibs were a sort of horse-powered mill. On certain days, the people of the city would congregate at the devlibs and bring their harvested wheat with them. The events would be marked by a jovial atmosphere, games, feasts, and song and dance.
During the harvests, it was customary for the courtyards of homes to be full grapes being dried to be made into grape molasses, raisins, grape leather, sharots, etc. Grape products were very profitable.
The people of Ayntab were fond of life. The toasts they made while drinking are evidence of that – “To your health,” “cheers to you,” “to a pleasant life,” “may God grant your home unending joy,” “cheers to the drinker,” “cheers to those who are absent,” “cheers to the brave drinker,” etc.
The following was a popular, humorous women’s ditty from Ayntab –
Yergoushapti, shapti, shapti,
Yerekshapti gar ge garem,
Chorekshapti doun ge hanem,
Hinkshapti hats ge shaghem,
Ourpat lat ge lvam,
Shapat paghnik g’ertam,
Giragi ov bani, vor yes banem?
The following is an example of a children’s lullaby/nursery rhyme from Ayntab –
Djor,djor,djor mama,
djorig maman jam g’erta,
Gorgod abour bish enna,
Yeghe vran khesh enna,
Kkachon oude, josh enna,
Lop, lop, Ashenna…
Pilaf Dishes
In Ayntab, pilafs were common side-dishes served with meals. Most of these pilafs had coarse wheat (bulgur) as their main ingredient. Generally, pilaf dishes were cooked with a generous amount of oil, but on Lenten days, the oil was replaced by vegetable oil.
Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli
2 cups of coarse wheat (bulgur)
½ cup of vermicelli
2 soup spoons of oil or vegetable oil
4 cups of water
Salt
Cook the vermicelli in oil until red, then add the coarse wheat. Cook in the oil for a few minutes, then add the water and salt and cook on a low fire until the water is completely absorbed.
Serve with herbs, onions, pickles, and tan (doogh).
Rice pilaf can be prepared following the same recipe, replacing the bulgur with rice.
Kheymale Ash or Meykhana Pilaf (Pilaf with Cracked Wheat)
200 grams of ground, oiled meat
2 tomatoes
1 pepper
1 onion
1 cup of cracked wheat
1 soup spoon of tomato paste
Allspice
Salt
Chop the onion and pepper and fry with the meat. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and spices. Boil, then add the cracked wheat and cook on a low fire until the water is absorbed, but remove from fire before it loses all moisture.
Types of Kofte
Ichli Kofte
For the dough –
½ kilogram of tenderized meat
2 cups of fine wheat
1 onion
Ground red pepper
Salt
For the filling –
½ kilogram of ground, oiled meat
½ kilogram of onions
½ cup of walnuts
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Allspice
Salt
Chop the onions for the filling, and fry alongside the seasoned meat, in the meat’s own oil. Then let it cool down. For the dough, grate the onions, combine with the meat and fine wheat, and knead while wetting constantly. Roll the dough into lemon-shaped balls, the fill them with the filling. Either fry or boil the resulting koftes.
Sini Kofte
Sini kofte is prepared with the same ingredients that are used to prepare ichli kofte. However, the dough is laid out onto an oiled pan, the filling is spread over the dough, and then the remaining dough is flattened with the hands and used to cover the filling. The resulting dish is kneaded with the fingers, cut across diagonally with a knife, and then baked with bits of butter placed on top.
Yogurt Kofte or Kofteli Yahni
Traditionally, this meatball soup was prepared during the New Year’s holidays. After attending the first mass of the new year, the family would gather and enjoy the warm soup.
For the soup –
1 liter of yogurt
1 egg
1 soup spoon of farina
2 soup spoons of oil
1 soup spoon of ground mint
Stock (this dish was usually prepared with turkey stock)
Salt
For the meatballs (koftes) –
½ kilogram of tenderized red meat
½ kilogram of diced, oiled meat (this dish was usually prepared with turkey meat)
½ kilogram of fine wheat
100 grams of tallow or butter
1 soup spoon of ground hot red pepper for the tallow
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Allspice
Salt
Combine the tallow or butter with the ground hot red pepper, and roll into hazelnut-sized balls. Freeze. Boil the oiled meat. Knead the tenderized meat, alongside the seasonings and wheat, wetting the fingers regularly, until the resulting mixture has the consistency of dough. Roll into walnut-shaped balls, then insert the balls of tallow or butter into them. Mix the yogurt, egg, and farina, and boil. Add the boiled meat and stock, and continue to boil. Now the meatballs can be added, and boiled in the soup. Fry the ground mint in oil and add to the soup before serving.
Oiled Kofte
1 cup of fine wheat
2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 soup spoon of tomato paste
1 soup spoon of pepper paste
2 soup spoons of oil
Salt
Chop the tomatoes and onions and mix with the wheat, then add the pastes and knead with the fingers, adding water as needed. Warm the oil, pour it over the kneaded kofte, mix, and serve.
Tahini Kofte
5 onions
1 cup of boiled chickpeas
¼ cup of tahini
1 soup spoon of mint
For the kofte –
1 cup of fine wheat
½ cup of simit
½ cup of flour
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Salt
Knead the contents of the kofte and roll into walnut-sized balls. Chop the onions and boil in water, then add the chickpeas and koftes and continue to boil. Separately, heat up the tahini, add the mint, and then pour some the water in which everything was boiled over it. Finally, add this tahini mix to the soup.
Kofte with Cheese and Bread
This dish was usually prepared using old bread found around the home.
200 grams of bread
100 grams of white cheese
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 pepper
Oil
Ground mint
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Salt
Chop the vegetables, crumble the bread into them, add the oil, the seasonings, and the grated cheese, and knead. Form into sekhems (individual finger-shaped, bite-size morsels) and serve.
Ekmek Ashe
This dish was usually prepared using old bread found around the home.
200 grams of bread
2 onions
1 soup spoon of oil or vegetable oil
2 soup spoons of tomato paste
1 tea spoon of mint
2 cloves of garlic
Salt
Fry the onions, add the tomato paste, mint, and mashed garlic, boil, and then crumble the bread into the dish.
Ich with Tahini
1 cup of fine wheat
2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 soup spoon of tomato paste
1 soup spoon of pepper paste
Lemon juice
2 soups spoons of tahini
Salt
For garnish – pepper, scallions, and other herbs.
Chop the tomatoes and onion and add to the wheat, allowing the wheat to absorb the vegetables’ juices. Then add the pastes, the tahini, and the lemon juice, also adding water. Garnish with chopped pepper, scallions, and other herbs before serving.
Onion Yakhni
1 kilogram of pearl onions
½ kilogram of oiled meat
1 soup spoon of tomato paste
1 soup spoon of pepper paste
2 cups of water
Allspice
Salt
Chop the meat and fry it in its own oil, add the onions, and continue to fry while stirring. Mix the pastes with water add to the mixture, season, then fry on a low fire. Serve with a bulgur pilaf as a side dish.
Chertma
Chertma was prepared using the innards of the zucchinis used to make dolma. Therefore, people would make this dish the day after making zucchini dolma.
First Version
½ kilogram of zucchini innards
2 onions
1 soup spoon of oil
1 soup spoon of tomato paste
1 soup spoon of pepper paste
½ cup of water
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Allspice
Salt
Fry the onions, add the tomato and pepper pastes, season, and add the water. Then add the zucchini innards and cook on a low fire.
Second Version
½ kilogram of zucchini innards
2 onions
1 soup spoon of oil
4 eggs
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Allspice
Salt
Fry the onions, then add the diced zucchinis. After frying, break the eggs over the meat and zucchinis, season, and serve.
Types of Omelets
The people of Ayntab called their omelets sherchazou (sherchadz tsou, “flipped eggs”). Alternatively, they simply called them “fried eggs.”
Omelet with Garlic and Yogurt
4 eggs
1 soup spoon of oil
½ cup of yogurt
1 clove of garlic
Salt
Heat up the oil, then add the scrambled eggs and fry. Serve after covering the omelet with the mixture of yogurt and mashed garlic.
Alanazig
100 grams of ground, oiled meat
1 onion
4 eggs
½ cup of yogurt
1 clove of garlic
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Salt
Chop the onion and cook alongside the meat. Season, then add the scrambled eggs and fry. Serve after covering the omelet with the mixture of yogurt and mashed garlic.
Eggs and Tomatoes
4 eggs
1 soup spoon of oil
2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 pepper
Allspice
Salt
Fry the onions, add the chopped tomatoes and pepper, then the scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with allspice before serving.
Eggs and Spinach
2 bunches of spinach
1 onion
1 soup spoon of oil
4 eggs
Salt
Fry the onions, and add the spinach (which should be half-boiled and strained). Continue to fry, then add the eggs.
Fried Dates
Removed the seeds from the dates, fry in oil, and then serve with bread in a sandwich.
Ghavurma
Each family prepared ghavurma at the end of autumn. They would then preserve it in jars for the winter.
Boneless red meat
A spoonful of oil
1 quince
Salt
Chop the meat into large pieces, sprinkle with salt, and leave in a colander for an entire night. On the following day, wash the meat and boil it. Remove from the water, wait until it cools down, then cover with lard or oil and fry for some time. Once it’s been well-fried, add slices of quince and fry for another 15 minutes. The resulting meal was poured into jugs, and then liquid oil was added before the jars were placed in a cool and dark place.
Vartabed Chorba (Priest’s Soup)
1 cup of red lentils
½ cup of rice or pounded wheat (dzedzadz)
2 onions
1 soup spoon of oil
Spicy ground red pepper
Salt
Chop the onions, then place all of the ingredients in a pot. Add a generous amount of water, and cook on a low fire, taking care to add water if the mixture becomes too dense.
Omez Zopale
The name of this dish translated into “tail soup.” In the summer, when the skins of eggplants were dried to make dolma, the innards and stems of the eggplants were also dried, and preserved specifically to be used in this dish. The dish was eaten using bread.
1 kilogram of eggplant innards
1 cup of coarse wheat
½ cup of tahini
1 bulb of garlic
Ground red pepper and black pepper
Salt
Chop and boil the eggplant, then add the coarse wheat and seasonings, and continue to boil. Mix water and tahini, and add the mixture to the soup. Serve with mashed garlic.
Yogurt Soup
1 liter of yogurt
1 egg
1 soup spoon of farina
½ cup of rice or pounded wheat (dzedzadz)
1 soup spoon of oil
1 soup spoon of mint
Salt
Beat the egg, mix with the yogurt and farina, and boil. Boil the rice (or wheat), then continue to boil all of the ingredients together. Meanwhile, fry the mint in oil and add to the boiling soup. Tanabour (doogh soup) was prepared around Easter, by adding yogurt to the boiling wheat.
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