Épices de Cru Isot Urfa Kurdish Black Chilli
£14.00
In a nutshell: Cultivated by Turkish Kurds, the Isot Urfa Black Chilli is a truly unique dried and fermented flake, surprising for its gentle heat and fruity, chocolate taste.
Great Taste 2017 2-star award winner
A truly unique chilli flake, this singular black chilli is surprising for its gentle heat, fruity flavour and chocolate taste. Widely used in Turkey as a finishing spice in kebab restaurants, it makes a wonderful garnish when it's sprinkled over grilled meats. Cultivated by Turkish Kurds, the Isot Urfa Black Chilli is prepared using time honoured, traditional methods passed down from generation to generation. It begins life as a sweet, red chilli with mild heat left in the sun to dry for a few weeks. Then, it is covered with tarpaulins and left to ferment and oxidise under the autumn sun. When nearly blackened, the tarpaulins are removed and it is left to sun-dry again before being crushed into flakes and combined with sea salt and olive oil. The result is a remarkable, and addictive taste. Sprinkle sparingly on all your dishes.
Details 50g
Heat rating 2/10
About Épices de Cru
Épices de Cru began in 1982 as a catering partnership between Philippe and Ethné de Vienne. Their mission was a kind of “cooking pot anthropology:” learning the secrets of family cooking around the world and applying these techniques to the needs of hungry Montrealers. The secret, they learned, was spices. Over the last two decades, Philippe and Ethné have searched for the world’s best spices, accompanied by their children, Marika and Arik. The de Viennes believe in direct sourcing spices: visiting growing regions, spending time with growers, and developing personal relationships that last decades. In 2004, they officially opened their first spice shop in Montreal’s fantastic Jean Talon market– it’s since become a mecca for foodies from all over the world. I first visited in 2008 and have been buying and using their spices on a regular basis ever since that first exciting visit. They steadfastly maintain that they do nothing original, only facilitating the exchange of culinary common sense from one place to another. But, what they do is simply quite brilliant - by providing us with the finest quality ingredients, and their superb spice mixes, we can all experiment with unusual spices and recreate delicious recipes from around the world.