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Keşkek (Ceremonial Pounded Wheat and Lamb)

Name: Keşkek (Ceremonial Pounded Wheat and Lamb)
Prep time: 5 h
Total time: 13 h 3 min
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: hulled wheat — 500 g; chickpeas — 100 g; lamb shoulder roast — 1000 g; water — 3000 g; onion — 120 g; unsalted butter — 120 g; maraş pepper flakes — 30 g; salt — 15 g; freshly ground black pepper — 5 g

Keşkek (Ceremonial Pounded Wheat and Lamb) reads umami 8.6, richness 8.4 and salinity 3.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Turkish main, about 13 hr 3 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.7 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.4 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.9 / 10
Rich & Fat — 9.0 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.6 · Richness 8.4 · Salinity 3.7 · Allium 3.4 · Earthy 2.7 · Nutty 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Funk & Ferment 1.6 · Heat 1.6 · Sweetness 1.5 · Bitterness 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Fruity 0.8

What's in it (9)

hulled wheat — 500 g
chickpeas — 100 g
lamb shoulder roast — 1000 g
water — 3000 g
onion — 120 g
unsalted butter — 120 g
maraş pepper flakes — 30 g
salt — 15 g
freshly ground black pepper — 5 g

Time & effort: about 13 hr 3 min (5 hr active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 63.6 kcal, 5.2 g protein, 6 g fat, 1.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Cover the hulled wheat and the chickpeas with plenty of cold water in separate bowls and soak overnight, at least 8 hours. Hulled wheat is whole grain with only the outer husk removed; pearled or cracked wheat will turn to paste and cannot be pounded.
Next day, put the lamb, the halved onion and the 3 litres of water in a large heavy pot. Bring to a simmer, skim carefully for the first 10 minutes, then cook gently for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is falling from the bone. Lift the meat out, discard the bones and the onion, and keep the broth.
Drain the wheat and chickpeas and add them to the broth. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the grains have burst and the mixture is thick enough to leave a trail behind the spoon.
Return the meat, shredded, and add the salt and black pepper. Now begin beating: with a wooden mallet, the flat of a heavy wooden spoon, or the traditional long-handled paddle, pound and stir in the same direction for 25 to 30 minutes over the lowest heat.
The mixture changes character as you go — the wheat gives up its starch, the meat breaks into fibres, and the whole thing becomes stretchy and glossy, closer to a very thick porridge than a stew. In the villages this is done by a team taking turns, to drumming, and the beating is the ceremony the UNESCO listing recognises.
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it foams and just begins to brown, about 3 minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in the Maraş flakes so they bloom without scorching.
Spread the keşkek in a wide dish, pour the red butter over the top in a spiral, and serve very hot.
Substitutions: mutton can stand in for the bone-in lamb shoulder.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Tavë Kosi (Lamb Baked Under Yogurt) — Albanian
Pierekaczewnik (Podlasie Tatar Layered Meat Pie) — Polish
Cemita Poblana de Milanesa — Mexican · Puebla
Kotlet (Persian Meat Patties) — Persian
Chunky Beef and Vegetable Soup — Eastern European

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.