“Air-dried, salt-cured beef tenderloin pressed flat and coated in a thick, fragrant crust of fenugreek, garlic, paprika and chili. After weeks of drying it is sliced tissue-thin and eaten as a meze, in sandwiches or fried with eggs. The chemen crust is as prized as the meat itself.”
Where it comes from
A celebrated cured meat across Armenian, Anatolian and Levantine kitchens, basturma's name comes from a Turkic word for 'pressed'; it has roots in ancient methods of preserving meat for travel and is a centerpiece of Armenian appetizer spreads.
On the plate
Deep, concentrated beefy flavor with a firm, slightly chewy bite and a salty edge. The fenugreek-garlic crust is pungent, warm and almost curry-like, perfuming the whole slice. A little goes a long way.
How it works
Salt curing draws out moisture and inhibits spoilage, while slow air-drying concentrates flavor and firms the texture. The chemen crust seals the surface and adds aromatic compounds as it dries onto the meat.
Variations
Made with beef eye of round or tenderloin, spicier crusts with extra chili, milder versions for sandwiches, served fried with eggs (basturma-and-eggs)
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 20160 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 115 min
Trim a whole beef tenderloin or eye of round and rub thoroughly with coarse salt.
- 25760 min
Press the meat under a weight in the fridge for several days, draining liquid daily.
- 310080 min
Rinse off the salt, pat dry, and hang the meat in a cool, airy place for about a week until firm.
- 410 min
Make chemen paste by mixing ground fenugreek, crushed garlic, paprika, chili and water into a thick spread.
- 510 min
Coat the dried meat completely in a thick, even layer of the chemen paste.
- 620160 min
Hang again to dry for one to two more weeks until the crust sets hard and the meat is dense.
- 710 min
Slice as thinly as possible against the grain with a sharp knife.
- 85 min
Serve at room temperature with lavash, cheese and herbs, or fry briefly with eggs.
