602514 Mon Mar 09 22:42:55 -0700 2009 4 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4489846 I ordered some torshi to go from a Middle Eastern restaurant that has a few Persian items. I never remembered seeing torshi before so I thought I'd see what it is. Well ... It seems like asking what pickles are ... there are so many types. The torishi I tried was very chopped and green and difficult to identifiy what exactly is in it. There is a little crunch to it and it is very tart and tangy. It sort of looks like the first picture or the stuff in the jar on the left. http://flickr.com/photos/farahravon/3104887391/in/set-72057594099713891/ http://flickr.com/photos/nimamajidifar/2532571245/ How exactly do people eat this and with what? This picture gives an idea of the wildly different types of torshi http://flickr.com/photos/shirin-natalie/540877541/ This is a cool article about Torshi Seer, pickled garlic http://ediblesanfrancisco.com/index.php/June/July-08/Issue-12/Garlic-A-Love-Story.html However, that wasn't the type of torshi I bought. The restaurant is mainly a kebab house. You suppose it goes on the kebabs or just gets eaten by the spoonful separately. Mon Mar 09 22:42:55 -0700 2009 10264 rworange 1 4492109 torshi can be made mashed, or chunky, or minced, and it can be made with cauliflower, carrots, eggplant, garlic, and celery, or pretty much any vegetable that can be pickled. It usually eaten as a side dish with dinner, and lunch, with the meal, or with salad. Tue Mar 10 14:19:51 -0700 2009 4489846 239431 OkcChow 1 4492288 The torshi I usually see in restaurants is very chunky with cabbage as the predominent ingredient. The jar I have in the fridge (bought from the nearby Turkish supermarket) has cabbage, gherkin, carrot, hot green pepper, tomato, red pepper. It would normally be served as part of a mezze. Tue Mar 10 15:19:37 -0700 2009 4489846 154102 Harters 1 4492908 Thanks to you both. I sort of answered my own question today by stopping by a Persian market to see what they had. They had a chunkier hot version and one similar to the torshi I had yesterday. He said it was liteh torshi and suggested I pronounce the t harder ... sort of doorshi. It answered why when I asked for torshi the first time at another place the owners eyes started twinkling with amusement. Like the deli guy said today, you don't want it to sound like tushi. Anyway, this was a little more elegant and less vinegary with a little smokiness from the eggplant. Great stuff ... though I liked the crunch in yesterday's version. Tue Mar 10 18:58:09 -0700 2009 4489846 10264 rworange 1 5179832 Maybe the prefix serves to differentiate here but, in my experience, Sir Torshi is 5-year-old garlic bulbs that have been cured in a sweet vinegar and served as a pickle/condiment. Wonderful with kebabs, rice and sumac. CP Fri Nov 13 14:48:08 -0800 2009 4489846 138009 Chefpaulo