Walnut sujuk

Walnut sujuk is a confection made from walnuts and grape must found in several West Asian cuisines. It is made running a string through a group of walnuts before covering them in grape must that is thickened by flour before leaving the confection to dry.

Etymology

in Turkish refers to a type of sausage, the name is derived from the shape of the confection.

Preparation

Walnut sucuk is prepared by coating strings of walnuts or other nuts in a thickened grape must mixture and allowing them to dry until firm. The grape juice is first concentrated and combined with flour or corn starch to produce a dense, pudding-like coating. Strings of walnuts are produced by running a string through the walnut with a sewing needle. Strings of nuts are repeatedly dipped into the warm mixture, with successive layers added to increase thickness and create an even outer covering. After coating, the strings are hung in a ventilated environment for several days or weeks to dry.

History

A confection called malban has existed in the medieval Middle East; 14th century traveller Ibn Battuta described malban in his travelogue titled The Travels of Ibn Battuta, malban was made in Damascus from grape syrup thickened with a powder with almonds and pistachio embedded in it. According to historian Nawal Nasrallah, this malban was "shaped like sausages, the way they are made today".

Food historian Priscilla Mary Işın notes that walnut sucuk was produced in Anatolia as early as the 15th century. 17th century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi noted that grape sausages were made in Gaziantep, Manisa, and Euboea.

A section about Arab cuisine from the 1889 proceedings of the 8th International Congress of Orientalists describe malban () of stringed walnuts coated in flour-thickened grape must, which were left to dry for 20-30 days. They are also described under the name (sujuks) in an 1844 Egyptian & Syrian Arabic-French dictionary by Swedish Orientalist .

A 1904 report by the US Bureau of Manufactures described sujuk (rojik in Armenian, according to the report) being made in Turkey, alongside kessme and basduk, all from grape must, and commented saying: Sujuk (rojik, in Armenian).- The meats of walnuts are strung closely together on pieces of stout twine a yard long. These strings are immersed in the mixture of grape molasses and flour described above, and after receiving a coating about one-fourth of an inch in thickness are withdrawn and hung up to dry. [They] are preserved for a few months in jars...

These [are] excellent articles of food [...they] offer much nutriment in a compact form, and are exceptionally well adapted for the needs of the oriental traveler. In these days of "grape cures," when unfermented grape juice is prepared on a large scale for the use of invalids and the anemic during the months when fresh grapes are not easily obtained.

Regional varieties

Armenia

In Armenian cuisine, this confection is known under various names, including sharots (), kaghtsr sujukh (), or more rarely, rojig ().

It is made of halved walnut kernels threaded on a string that are traditionally coated in a spiced graped-based mixture called ‚doshab clay‘. The spices and ingredients used to make this concoction are doshab, flour, cinnamon, clove, and cardamom.ШАРОЦ. Армянское лакомство, напоминающее по технологии приготовления грузинскую чурчхелу (см.). Имеет свои особенности приготовления, которые влияют на его вкус. Виноградное сусло обрабатывают бентонитом, процеживают, используют смесь трех пряностей (корицы, гвоздики, кардамона), совершенно не применяемых в чурчхеле, обладающих естественным вкусом и ароматом. Sharots. An Armenian confection that resembles the Georgian churchkhela in its method of preparation. However, it has distinct preparation features that affect its flavor. The grape must is treated with bentonite, filtered, and flavored with a mixture of three spices—cinnamon, clove, and cardamom—which are not used in churchkhela and contribute a unique taste and aroma.Ընկույզի կիսած միջուկների շարանի վրա դոնդողակերպ շիրայի շերտ գոյացնելով ու չորացնելով պատրաստվող քաղցրավենիք, սուջուխ: Sharots, a confection prepared by forming a thick layer of grape syrup over a string of halved walnut kernels and drying it (sujukh). Variations that substitute the grape-based mixture for another fruit, or spice-based mixture include pomegranate, apricot, cherry, peach, apple, mulberry, plum and cinnamon.

Another variation of sharots, is prepared differently and is of a different and far smaller shape. It is called fruchella (), and is essentially round balls of fruit doshab (same mixture as used in sharots, however, the standard base is pomegranate doshab) filled with chopped and sweetened nuts. They are often sold as a sort of pralines.

Turkey

In Turkey, () is made alongside pestil and other confections. In Mardin, cevizli sucuk is traditionally prepared for Eid al-Adha.

In 2022, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office issued a Geographical indication for walnut to the city of Beypazarı, Ankara Province. According to the patent, 250kg of grapes are reduced to 100kg of grape juice thickened with wheat flour, which is used to coat 90-100 strings of walnut kernels weighing , each string around a metre long. The result is dried for 10-15 days and is reported to last 7-8 months in storage.

In 2023, TRT Haber reported 40 tons of cevizli sucuk being produced by a single village in Sason District, Batman.

Cyprus

In Cyprus, it is known as soutzoukos (), the name derived from the Turkish (sujuk). Cypriot soutzoukos commonly include almonds or rose water. They are traditionally made by dipping the threaded nuts into the thickened grape mixture (called paluze) 3 to five times over several hours then they are left to dry for 5-6 days. It is traditionally prepared during the grape harvest season, around September.

Greece In Greece, the confection is prepared from grape must and stringed walnuts, and is called "soutzouk loukoum" ().

Iraq

Sucuk is made in a variety of flavors like mastic in the Iraqi Kurdistani cities of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Mosul. Sujuk is a common gift given to those living in other cities when visited.

Syria

In Syrian cuisine, walnut sucuk is known as (), borrowed from Turkish, as well as many other local names. Its made by dipping stringed-together walnuts into grape molasses over several rounds before coating them in starch to pevent them from sticking. A Cilician custom was to gift malban to relatives and friends when visiting Aleppo. It is also known as okudah (), and is imported into Syria from Gaziantep.

Lebanon

Armenians in Lebanon make sweet sucuk from grape molasses and walnuts. Lebanese people in Sidon also make a similar sweet called malban for Eid al-Fitr, influenced by Ottoman cuisine, of walnuts stringed together and dipped in thickened sugar and flour.

Georgia

The Georgian churchkhela is a variety of sucuk made from a variety of flavorings.

Walnut sujuk

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