Türlü

Türlü is a Turkish casserole of stewed mixed vegetables, sometimes with meat, that is also found in several Balkan cuisines. Its name, meaning "variety", reflects its character: a flexible dish in which each kitchen and household decides which vegetables to include.

History

The name comes from the Old Turkic word türlüg, meaning "variety". According to the food historian Priscilla Mary Işın, the oldest known türlü recipe dates from the 18th century. That version called for meat, garlic, vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini and okra, and also unripe grapes, and it already placed weight on how the dish was presented.

Over time the stew spread through the Balkans, where it took on local names and details: perimesh or simply turli in Albania, tourlou in Greece and turli tava in North Macedonia. In Turkey and Bulgaria it is known as türlü güveç when cooked in a clay pot called a güveç, while the Macedonian version is traditionally made in a similar earthenware pot called a tava.

Culture

Türlü is a home-style dish, tied to the season and to whatever vegetables are available. Its basic ingredients vary widely, but potatoes, eggplant and okra usually appear, joined by green beans, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, onions and garlic. It is seasoned with cooking oil, salt, black pepper or crushed red pepper, and tomato or pepper paste.

Meat versions use beef, lamb or veal, and in the Balkans also pork. The ingredients are mixed and baked, so the vegetables cook in their own juices. It remains a common dish in family kitchens and on traditional menus in its countries of origin.