DIYARBAKIR
Positioned within the southeastern province of Diyarbakır and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, the Hevsel Gardens have been the positioning of uninterrupted agriculture for 8,000 years. The wild herbs rising naturally there are remodeled right into a culinary feast within the wealthy Diyarbakır delicacies.
Fed by the Tigris River and regarded the “lungs” of the town, the Hevsel Gardens produce not solely cultivated crops but additionally quite a lot of wild herbs in springtime, together with heliz, wild garlic, sirim, gulik, tort, mallow, mustard greens, sorrel, nettle, yarpuz (a kind of mint), kenger (a kind of thistle) and çiriş.
To protect and move on conventional recipes from the town’s heritage delicacies, instructors and trainees from the Meals and Beverage Providers Division of the Yenişehir Public Training Middle go to the Hevsel Gardens to reap these wild crops.
The herbs collected by girls are utilized in conventional dishes resembling mastava, a yogurt-based soup with rice, bulgur, eggs, wheat flour, herbs and grape molasses, together with entire wheat bread made with nettle, borani ready with spinach and different substances, sarma, mücver made with zucchini, recent herbs and native cheese and gırık, a dish made with meat or hen, onions and herbs.
Teacher Derya Akdağ Aykaç instructed the state-run Anadolu Company that every herb gathered from the Hevsel Gardens is a pure treatment and that they’re delighted to include them into their meals.
She famous the significance of correctly figuring out these crops, saying, “Some herbs could seem useful, but when harvested or processed incorrectly, they are often dangerous. Toxic sorts or thorny constructions require warning. For instance, yılan otu [snake herb] can’t be consumed with out first being soaked in yogurt. Each plant has its personal particular harvesting and preparation methodology, which should be revered,” she mentioned.
Aykaç famous that sirim and mallow are among the many mostly discovered herbs within the gardens and that they use quite a lot of cooking strategies to show these into scrumptious meals.
“The Hevsel Gardens are an actual feast of flavors for us. We spend time in nature, gather these therapeutic herbs and convey the colours of spring to our tables. These endemic crops every have distinctive aromas that enrich our meals. We attempt to assist the youthful technology, particularly by way of wholesome consuming. With the arrival of spring, our tables grow to be a competition of colour. We revive the beloved dishes of our elders, put together them along with our college students, and provides them the possibility to share them with their households. The crops grown within the fertile soil of the Hevsel Gardens provide many well being advantages. Yarpuz, for instance, is wealthy in vitamin C, whereas kenger is helpful for dental and digestive well being. Each a part of the plant — from the foundation to the stem to the seed — incorporates distinct benefits,” she mentioned.
Some 25 dishes from 10 herbs
Aykaç acknowledged that these works are serving to revive almost forgotten conventional recipes and that they’ll create roughly 25 distinct dishes utilizing simply 10 totally different herbs.
“We mix the herbs with eggs, bulgur and flour. By mixing these wild herbs with different agricultural merchandise, we create dishes that provide quite a lot of flavors and shows. This brings variety and well being to our tables,” she mentioned.
Trainee Dilan Özgan mentioned that they use the herbs they collect to organize dishes each at dwelling and on the coaching middle.
“Bulgur pilaf made with gulik herb is extremely tasty. There are different herbs too and their dishes are additionally scrumptious. We make fried mallow with eggs, use purslane as a meze, and in addition cook dinner it right into a bitter soup. Kenger is used each for frying and for making meftune,” she mentioned, including that these flavors have been on the verge of being forgotten and that they’re working to carry them again.
Özgan additionally identified that they’re cautious to keep away from poisonous herbs. “Some herbs are wild and toxic. We decide them out and discard them. We particularly choose the recent, vivid inexperienced ones to make use of in our dishes,” she mentioned.
One other trainee, Songül Çolak, harassed the deep-rooted culinary historical past of Diyarbakır. “Our dishes made with herbs harvested from the Hevsel Gardens in spring are particularly scrumptious. We realized them from our elders. The Hevsel Gardens are actually beneath safety and supply locals with many blessings, merchandise and agricultural items. Dishes ready with these herbs are sometimes the spotlight at weddings and when particular company go to. Diyarbakır is usually recognized for its ciğer [liver] dishes, however we’ve many extra wonderful flavors. As native girls, we need to promote these dishes and assist protect this cultural heritage.”
