Sunday 19 June 2011

Semizotu, Soğluk, Pirpirim or Purslane

Purslane at the Bazaar


Semizotu, Soğluk and Pirpirim are the names given to Purslane.  Why there are 3 names for the same weed in the same country beats me.  I was confused when I ate a semizotu salad and it resembled soğluk, I asked the hostess and she said no no its semizotu.  Depending on where you come from depends on the name you know it by.  


I first ate this when my mother in law came back from her garden with a few handfuls of it.  She waved it in my face and said yemek, yemek (food, food). I wasnt so keen on it then but after making it myself and tweeking her recipe it is one of my favourites.


There are 2 simple salads that are both equally delicous and easy to prepare.  Also both are great for the Meze table.




Purslane yogurt salad 


500gr purslane
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt
500gr yogurt
1tbsp dried mint


Chop the purslane up very finely and place into a bowl.  Add in the yogurt and rest of the ingredients and beat well until everything is mixed in.  Place onto serving dish and serve.



Purslane with olive oil

500gr of purslane
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt
olive oil
1 lemon

Finely chop the purslane and place into a bowl.  Add in the minced garlic, pinch of salt and the juice of half a lemon or full lemon, depending on your taste.  Stir very well and kind of mash it at the same time or use your washed hands and mix and squeeze at the same time.  Splash in a bit of olive oil and serve.


10 comments:

  1. I love purslane you're so lucky to be able to find it at the bazaar! I want to go! These recipes are both just lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds nice, sometimes you need a good hit of greens. It is confusing when there's more than one name for the one thing too- the same as colours like cream,white, off white,ivory or biege!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Katherine it isnt available everywhere. Before we could only eat what we picked in the garden or what we could forage. Antep is the only place I have seen it for sale at the bazaars. It is sold in those agricultural bags and they have scores of them. It is very popular here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes thats true, I feel the same way when Spring finally comes we eat nothing but greens and the new fruits and veggies we have had to do without.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've heard a lot of people say that this grows as a weed in their yard, but I've never seen it here in Washington state. We have stinging nettles and lambs quarters for wild greens around here, and they've both gone tough/gone to seed already this year.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Michelle Washington might be too cold for it. I have only seen it growing along the Mediterranean. Nettle has finished here too :(

    ReplyDelete
  7. My friend Celia from Figjamandlimecordial grows it in Sydney and talks about t on her blog sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Chef look along your fence line and you might see some evidence of it in Summer there.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Purslane grows like crazy here in Canada during the summer months.
    Look for it on disturbed ground in full sun. If you find an organic farm with unadulterated soil, chances are you will find purslane :)
    Nom Nom succulents.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Take a bag and harvest it Steve! purslane is a very healthy plant - we can still buy it here(second wind)

    ReplyDelete