At many on hearing such name, as basturma. What is it, in fact, this? Let's deal with this simple matter.
Basturma - what is this "beast"?
If you define this dish, you can describe it like this: it is a kind of oriental dish made from large meat (more often beef) pieces. They can be fried or dried. The gourmets probably already played an appetite and drooled! Naturally, this magnificent dish has a wonderful aroma - all thanks to the mixes of classic oriental spices. Many years ago people dried meat directly in the sun, falling asleep with fragrant herbs. Pieces of meat could languish in the sun for weeks at a time. Some people think: "Basturma - what is this strange word?" In fact, the name is originally Oriental. However, it is unlikely that it will be more accurate to find out whether the dish belongs. Usually it is attributed to Caucasian or Turkish cuisine, and sometimes to Central Asian. In any case, this fact does not detract from the merits of the dish.
Legends of the oriental dish
Some historians believe that the very name "basturma" originated from the Turkic word "basdirma", which means "pressed meat". It is said that the Turkic nomads hanged meat pieces (for example, horse meat) on the sides of their saddles. The meat, crushed by the feet of the rider and scorched by the hot sun, was ready in a few days to be consumed. Ready basturma could hang for a long time on the saddles. Of course, there were no refrigerators at that time, and people turned around as best they could. A few centuries later, jerky meat "acquired" a fragrant shell of spices. Thanks to this, the shelf life of the dish has increased many-fold. Another plus of this dish is a relatively low calorie content. Do not be afraid to get better!
Classical basturma - what is this in terms of professional chefs?
The traditional recipe of the dish says that you should use exclusively beef meat. Although not all follow this advice. Sometimes mistresses choose a tender mutton meat, an exotic roe deer or even a deer fillet. One of the basic rules of cooking is the use of young meat. Home basturma is a plate three centimeters thick. The fillet is first abundantly rubbed with table salt, and then put on a thick salt layer in a special tub. On top of the meat, you must put a heavy press. Literally in a couple of days the fillet will start to secrete the juice and marinate right there. And so, from the first day of the marinovka, it is necessary to hold the meat plates under the press for twenty days. After that, the meat should be soaked in ice water. After three days, when it softens, the most important stage of preparation begins. Basturma must be densely grated with aromatic spices. The recipe for a mixture for rubbing at each his own. Then the pieces of meat are pulled with a rope and hung out on a draft again for twenty days. As you can see, basturma is a real work of art, and only the most patient and talented chef will be able to cook a real traditional dish. However, in our days, nothing to be so tormented - it's enough just to visit an oriental restaurant.