Firik Soup (Firik çorbası)
Overview
Firik is wheat harvested while still green and then roasted, which gives it a smoky, nutty flavour. In south-eastern Türkiye it is cooked into a soup with onion, tomato or pepper paste, chickpeas and a good meat stock, sometimes with small pieces of chicken or lamb. The grains stay slightly chewy and the broth takes on the toasty taste of the wheat. It is a comforting, wholesome bowl that has become more widely known as interest in regional grains has grown.
History
Roasting young green wheat is an ancient practice in the Levant and south-eastern Anatolia, known in Arabic as freekeh. Farmers burned the straw and chaff of immature wheat, leaving the moist grains lightly roasted. Firik has long been used in pilafs and soups in cities such as Gaziantep, Hatay and Şanlıurfa, and is now sold widely across Türkiye.
Main ingredients
Firik (roasted green wheat), chicken or lamb stock, onion, tomato paste, chickpeas, butter. The soup is built on meat stock and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chickpea soups · Chicken soups · Lamb soups · Tomato soups · Barley and grains soups · More soups from Türkiye
Recipe
Method
- 1
Soften the onion in butter and add the paste.
- 230-35 min
Add the firik and stock and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
- 35 min
Add the chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes.
- 4
Season and serve with a little melted butter.
- ✓
Serve. About 50 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.
