Turte [‘turte] with poppy seeds is a vegetarian pastry made especially during Lent. The simplicity of this recipe represents the essence of our traditional cuisine. A good chef could easily be inspired by the taste of these pastries achieved by the milk from the poppy seeds and adapt the recipe for a modern dessert. My grandmother Vera grew poppies in her garden. Once a policeman came and inquired if there were any poppies in her backyard. She answered proudly: ‘Yes! What kind of housewife would I be if there weren’t any?’ Of course, the policeman ordered her to destroy all the poppy plants and also searched the house. You see, there was a drug addict who told the police he bought poppy from an old lady who lived in a green house. Well, in Lipnic, there are plenty of houses painted green and almost everyone grew poppies. The harsh reality of the 90s caused poppies to disappear from the gardens and reduced the quantity of turte on the menu.
AuthorNata AlbotCategoryDesserts, VegetarianDifficultyIntermediateTurte [‘turte] are simple pastries made of flour and salted water. The dough must be soft. Make a few round flatbreads, pierce with a fork and fry on both sides in a pan with no oil.
Set aside to cool and prepare the poppy. Wash the poppy seeds and soak in warm water (50-60ºC).
Drain the water and transfer the poppy into a special clay pot with a conic abrasive bottom, called morcoteț [morko’tet͡s]. Add sugar and crush the seeds with a macagon [maka’gon] (a wooden pestle) until you obtain a milky mixture.
Break the flatbreads into smaller pieces and soak in this milky poppy mixture.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Turte [‘turte] are simple pastries made of flour and salted water. The dough must be soft. Make a few round flatbreads, pierce with a fork and fry on both sides in a pan with no oil.
Set aside to cool and prepare the poppy. Wash the poppy seeds and soak in warm water (50-60ºC).
Drain the water and transfer the poppy into a special clay pot with a conic abrasive bottom, called morcoteț [morko’tet͡s]. Add sugar and crush the seeds with a macagon [maka’gon] (a wooden pestle) until you obtain a milky mixture.
Break the flatbreads into smaller pieces and soak in this milky poppy mixture.
Enjoy!
Notes
Is it raining in your mouth? Come and discover Moldova through its cuisine and hospitality with cook book EAT LIKE MOLDOVANS and BE OUR GUEST. DISCOVER MOLDOVA!