During my fieldwork in Gaziantep last year I fell in love with the city’s famous culinary history — and one particular spice above all else. While food can seem insignificant to the complex politics of the region, it is often the small, routine parts of daily life which are most important. This blog post is a bit unusual for regular readers but food serves as an important cultural and social connection between the Syrian community in Gaziantep and those in Syria itself. For those who have also come to love this spice and the dishes it is ubiquitous in, I hope it inspires you to try making it yourself.
Located near the Syrian-Turkish border, Gaziantep is renowned for having some of the best food in the region and blending flavours from traditional Turkish, Armenian, and Syrian food. From Baklava made from Gaziantep’s extensive pistachio trees to Antep Simit Kebabı, the city is a paradise for food. For those interested, the Gaziantep Emine Göğüş Culinary Museum outlines this blending of foods and cultures in the city’s history and tells how the region’s ancient history still shapes the food eaten there today.
Gaziantep Emine Göğüş Culinary Museum (2023, Broderick McDonald)
However, despite the amazing Turkish food in Antep’s many cafes, stalls, and restaurants, my favourite food turned out to be Aleppo Pepper (Halaby Pepper). The reddish-brown pepper is named after the city of Halab (Aleppo) and Rif Halab (Aleppo Countryside) in nearby Syria where it is grown and produced. Despite its Syrian origins, Aleppo Pepper is also widely available in neighbouring Turkiye (pul biber) and in the southwest the same family of pepper is produced in large quantities along with pistachios and olive oil. While Samandag (Hatay) Pepper and Kahramanmaras (Marash) Pepper is very similar in taste, I became most familiar with Halaby Pepper as most of my friends in the Antep Syrian community still remember it most closely and introduced me to it as a connection to their lives in Syrian before the civil war. Aleppo Pepper is available in much of Europe and North America but you will struggle to find Samandag or Kahramanmaras Pepper unless you know where to look or you happen to have a Turkish grocer nearby. However regardless of whether you use the Syrian or Turkish variation of this pepper, the flavour will be similar and you will be equally rewarded for incorporating it into your kitchen. Whether used in salads, kebabs, bulgar or even as a spice on egg dishes like shakshuka — you will immediately notice a distinctive improvement. The secret of Aleppo Pepper is that it has a deep, rich, sundried flavour with only moderate heat.
Despite my love for this pepper, I had been unable to find much information on how it was grown, processed, and manufactured available online when I tried to grow my own this summer. As a lifelong fan of TV programs like the Science Channel’s How Its Made, I hoped I might find a short video documentary on its growth and production but no such thing exists as of yet. As a result, I began digging into the history and production of Aleppo Pepper by turning to my Syrian friends. After many conversations, Im happy to share a rough recipe of how you can also make the spice for yourself. Even if you decide it is not worth the hassle, I would encourage everyone who loves Levantine and Syrian food to try using the spice in other dishes, including pizza dough and roasts where it is equally useful.
While I will not focus here on growing the pepper, it is worth noting that you can grow it nearly anywhere with enough sunlight and warmth, even the UK (though a greenhouse will be needed in the winter). Grown from varieties of Capsicum annuum, the red (and sometimes green) peppers can be grown outdoors in warm, dry climates with plenty of light and indoors in colder climates. Once harvested, the pepper must be strung with a thread and left to dry in the sun where its water content will slowly decline over days or weeks depending on the heat, humidity and weather. The more sunlight it receives, the darker red and black the flakes will be and the better the flavour. Alternatively, the peppers can be left on (cleaned) stones in direct sunlight or stretched out in nets for industrial production. One Syrian mother told me how they used to wash the roof down with water in the summer and then lay out the peppers in the hot sun to let it dry in the past. If you live in a cooler and more humid climate, or have little time for the traditional drying process, you can also slice the peppers and dry them in an oven at low heat (80–120f) for several hours but the peppers will have less dark red and will come out slightly more orange and less flavourful if opting for an oven.
Once dried, the seeds should be carefully removed (wear gloves & protect your eyes/nose to prevent any contact!). While some seeds are fine, the spice is better without them. To crush them and prepare them for use as a kitchen spice, you can either crush them by hand (or even by stomping with plastic covers on shoes if done at a large scale!). However the best (and safest!) method is to simply place the whole dried peppers in a food processor or blender, using short bursts to reduce them down to a powder or flakes, as you prefer. Larger flakes are more flavourful and traditional, and they have the benefit of not covering the entire dish with one overwhelming flavour. To keep the chili flakes and oils intact, as well as to add some flavour, most Syrians I spoke with recommended adding a slight drizzle of olive oil and salt to the mixture when in the food processor or before putting into jars. Once these three ingredients are combined and blended, the recipe is ready and you can fill spice jars for the rest of the winter with the reddish brown spice. The recipe is so simple and straightforward that a few hours of preparation can produce enough to last months. Without any preservatives or additional ingredients, the spice will last for over a year.
The recipe (3 ingredients) is so streamlined that anyone can make it, and the finished product can be kept on the table or beside the oven and be used to improve nearly any dish you make. While I dont have a video of the traditional process, the above description will given you enough details to replicate it — and if you encounter any questions or discover a even better method, please feel free to send me an email!
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