Life in the Village of Tchingiler: Basterma... "The Breakfast of Champions"
Friday, March 2, 2012 at 10:19AM
Its the fall of 1910. You're a child in the village of Tchingiler located in the western most aspect of the Ottoman Empire. The early morning sun is just awakening as you are. With sleep still in your eyes, you pull on your one-of-a-kind sheep skin coat to keep the morning frost at bay. Lazily you stumble out and make your way to a primitive barn your father constructed for the chickens. Stealing a half dozen eggs, you carefully walk back to your home. But as you open the door, your nostrils are hit with the aromatic scent of spices being cooked atop a wood burning stove and fruitwoods burning within. The spices are called "Chemen", a mixture of herbs and spices that are used in the curing of "Basterma" (hardcore Armenian beef jerky). Your mother and grandmother are preparing a breakfast of Basterma and eggs. Sometimes other herbs are added to the eggs as well including cilantro, parsley, chives or basil (but you like it plain, just eggs and Basterma). You can still smell the spices coming from your body from your last Basterma meal! It stays with you for days. Luckily everyone in your family (and the village) smell the same! Suddenly there is no more sleep in your eyes and a faint devilish smile appears on your face... Your mother has just handed you a plate of ecstacy and at it base is fresh warm Lavash (flat bread) with a heaping pile of steaming eggs, beef and spices. Now that's the breakfast of champions (-'
Once or twice a year, the village would get together to make Basterma (see picture) Its a big deal as you can see (notice the curing Basterma hanging in the background). Afterwards, everyone relaxes, plays tavloo (backgammon) and drink spirits made from mulberry fruit. What a life, huh?
When is the last time you had a good hit of village quality Basterma?
Reader Comments (1)
Am so glad you reminded of Basterma. Last time I had it ("Pastourma" in Greece) was in the 1980s.