389213 Fri Apr 06 19:44:32 -0700 2007 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2458395 A friend of mine just told me about this ingredient used in Persian cuisine. It's a mix of sour cherries, tamarind and other stuff. I'm told it's insanely sour, stimulating stuff. Got my attention. I'm gonna go find some at my local Persian market. So once I have some, then what? Fri Apr 06 19:44:32 -0700 2007 10023 Professor Salt 1 2458411 I've never heard of torshak. Sounds really interesting though. I do know torshi is basically pickled vegetables. My aunt makes some great cauliflower torshi. There is a Persian paste that the stuff you describe reminds me of, but I can't remember the name. It is eaten by itself, as opposed to being used in cooking, and it is dark brown. It is the most sour, tart, thing that I have ever eaten in my life. It cleanses the system. I have to try to think a bit more about this. "Torsh" means sour in Persian. There is something else that comes to mind. You may find tamarind paste in Persian markets. Maybe that's what your friend was refering to as "torshak." I've eaten that plain too-- straight out of the bag. Okay, now I am craving something "torsh" (sour). Yum. Fri Apr 06 19:58:02 -0700 2007 2458395 57689 katkoupai 1 2458419 Eat it! The thing about great Iranian snacks is that you can always balance salty with sour--some lavashak (sour fruit roll ups) followed by some pistachios, followed by some torshak (better to snack on than to cook with) followed by some lemony salted, roasted almonds. (Then drink a lot of water). I got some torshak recently as a gift from someone who was just in Iran. It's awesome and we've been snacking on it non-stop. It's got sour cherries, tamarind, sour plums (all with pits), all stewed? The consistency is like a very chunky jam. Given the pits, it's tough to do anything with it besides snack on it, and given how sour it is, a little bit goes a long (exhilirating) way. If you try it, please report back. I'd love to hear what you think of it. Fri Apr 06 20:08:17 -0700 2007 2458395 15695 rose water 2 2458432 Rose Water, do you know the stuff that I'm thinking about? I can't remember the name in Persian. It's dark brown, and comes in really small pudding size containers. It is not made with fruit. It is like super fermented kashk that is dark brown. Edit: I figured it out. It's called ghara ghorut. Do they sell torshak in the US? I've never seen it. I will look for it in Persian markets. I have had the delicious tamarind paste with pits in it though (sounds rather similar to "torshak," although I didn't know that's what it was called). Fri Apr 06 20:13:22 -0700 2007 2458419 57689 katkoupai 3 2458714 Ha! I was thinking about ghara ghorut just after I posted last night. That stuff is crazy--both super sour and earthy, simultaneouly disgusting and completely addictive. There's a bit more pleasure than pain with the sour cherry/plum/tamarind goo. But as Prof Salt mentioned, all this stuff is also stimulating--there's a euphoric head rush that comes with eating such sour food. I know that when I was in LA, they sold packets of tamarind right next to the lavashak at the Iranian market I went to on Westwood. I don't know if you can find it in the NYC shops, but I plan to start looking. Sat Apr 07 04:02:29 -0700 2007 2458432 15695 rose water 4 2459363 Yup, ghara ghorut. I agree with your sentiments, Rose Water-- ghara ghorut is disgusting, yet tasty, in a strange way. I actually feel like having some now too. (After reading this post last night, I had to eat homemade torshi and green olives to get my *sour* fix). I *love* lavashak and eat it regularly)\, and I do eat the tamarind paste from time to time, although not as much as I eat lavashak. :) As for ghara ghorut, I've only had it in Iran or when we brought some home to LA from Iran. That stuff is serious! Thanks for the reply Rose Water. By the way, if you find any good Persian grocers or restaurants in NYC, I would love to know about them. When I lived there, there was one Persian restaurant in all of Manhattan. My cousin is there now, and she said there is Persian food, but not much, and she misses Persian homecooking a lot. Sat Apr 07 12:57:48 -0700 2007 2458714 57689 katkoupai 1 2460002 Thanks, kat & rose. I thought this was a cooking ingredient. Now I know it's a spoonfood with atomic pucker power. Sat Apr 07 17:59:15 -0700 2007 2458395 10023 Professor Salt 2 2464625 So well said, good professor! That's *exactly* what torshak is! katkoupai, feel free to start a thread or get your cousin to start a thread on the manhattan board to talk about the local stuff. there have also been a couple useful posts recently that you could pass along: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/354025 and http://www.chowhound.com/topics/381350 Mon Apr 09 14:42:31 -0700 2007 2460002 15695 rose water 3 2465808 Thanks, Rose Water; and Prof. Salt, you're welcome re. the info. I'm actually excited that more people like these assorted Persian snacks. Mon Apr 09 23:13:29 -0700 2007 2464625 57689 katkoupai