Madımak Yemeği – Knotweed With Pastırma
Ingredients:
1 kg knotweed
200 gr pastırma
2/3 c bulgur
2 onions
1 c butter
1 head garlic, divided into cloves and peeled
1 lt water
Salt
Clean the knotweed of hardened stems and dead leaves, wash well, then drain and chop. Chop the
onions and the pastırma. Melt the butter in a pan, and cook the onions in the butter till they are
transparent. Add the pastırma. Add the chopped knotweed and continue to sauté. Add the bulgur,
garlic and 1 liter of water, and cook 1 ½ hours. (For a better flavor, add 100-150 gr. sheep’s tail.)
Note: This dish is actually made over an area that includes Tokat, Sivas and Amasya provinces.
Madımak, a type of small-leaved knotweed, is a famous and extremely popular food in Anatolia, so
much so that it is the subject of folk songs, it can be a nickname, business are named after it. As it is
time consuming to gather, clean and cook, this is often done as a group effort.
People in many areas of Anatolia traditionally take their flocks to the high mountain meadows,
or yaylas for the summer. Madımak is at its best during the spring when they first ascend, and its
short season adds to the demand for it. It is very nutritious; 100 grams of madımak contains 73%