Çiriş Soup (Çiriş çorbası)
Overview
Çiriş çorbası is a spring soup from Eastern Anatolia made with çiriş, the young shoots of the wild Eremurus plant, which look a little like leeks. In Kars, where it is also called gulik çorbası, the shoots are boiled, chopped and set aside. Flour is toasted lightly in clarified butter, then milk, salt and spices are whisked in, often with a little bone broth for flavour, and the soup is brought to the boil. The cooked çiriş goes in and simmers until tender. The result is a creamy, pale green soup with a mild, slightly bitter, grassy taste. Some cooks add rice or bulgur instead of milk.
History
Çiriş is gathered from the mountains of Kars, Ağrı, Van and Erzincan as soon as the snow melts, and it is believed to be a healing plant that cleans the body after winter. The shoots are often frozen or dried to use all year. Writers on the region note that the traveller Evliya Çelebi described dishes made from çiriş when he visited Van in the seventeenth century.
Main ingredients
Çiriş (eremurus) shoots, butter, flour, milk, onion, bone broth (optional). The soup is built on milk and broth and is usually served hot. Diet: vegetarian; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: More soups from Türkiye
Recipe
Method
- 15 min
Boil the çiriş shoots for 5 minutes, drain and chop.
- 22 min
Toast the flour, and onion if using, in the butter for 2 minutes.
- 3
Whisk in the milk and broth, season and bring to the boil.
- 415 min
Add the çiriş and simmer for 15 minutes, then serve with chilli butter.
- ✓
Serve. About 45 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
