Dövme Soup (Dövme çorbası)
Overview
Dövme is wheat whose husk has been removed by pounding, and this south-eastern Turkish soup cooks it slowly with lamb and chickpeas until the grains swell and soften. Onion and red pepper paste flavour the broth, and dried mint and butter are added at the end. Some versions are enriched with yogurt. The result is thick and chewy, almost porridge-like, and very filling and warming. It is cooked in Gaziantep, Kilis and neighbouring provinces, often for cold days and family gatherings.
History
Pounding wheat in large stone mortars to remove the husk is an old practice in south-eastern Anatolia and the Levant, and the resulting grain is used in soups, pilafs and the celebratory dish keşkek. Soups made from dövme belong to that grain-centred tradition and are still made at home and in some traditional restaurants in the region.
Main ingredients
Hulled wheat (dövme), chickpeas, lamb, onion, pepper paste, dried mint. The soup is built on lamb broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~105 min
Ingredients
- 150 g dövme (hulled wheat), soaked overnight
- 300 g lamb, diced
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp pepper paste
- butter, dried mint
Method
- Brown the lamb and onion, stir in the pepper paste.
- Add the wheat and 2 l water and simmer for about 75 minutes until soft.
- Add the chickpeas and cook for 10 minutes more.
- Season and finish with mint butter.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.