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Fermentation Atlas

Vegetables from Iran, Turkey, Iraq, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Levant

Torshi / turşu (brine-fermented types)ترشی

Mixed vegetables such as cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage and peppers are covered in salt brine and left for weeks while lactic bacteria sour them. Many kinds are then rinsed and finished with vinegar, lemon or date syrup; others, especially in Iran, are vinegar pickles that are not fermented at all. Made in 4 steps over 36 days – 56 days. The longest step, cover with brine and ferment, takes 30–40 days (Muhialdin B.J 2022). Salt is 12 % (Muhialdin B.J 2022). Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, the main lactic bacterium in Iranian pickles and Levilactobacillus brevis, Lactiplantibacillus pentosus, Lacticaseibacillus casei and L. paracasei, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step30–40 daysReported[muhialdin2022]Cover with brine and ferment
Salt12 %Reported[muhialdin2022]Cover with brine and ferment
AciditypH 4Measured[dallal2017]Second fermentation with date syrup

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe amounts are part of a traditional Iraqi recipe for 10 kg of turshi medabis (Al-Najaf), as given in a 2022 review. The printed recipe lists cucumber twice (3 kg and 2 kg); only the first line is shown.
3 kgCucumber[muhialdin2022]
2 kgCauliflower[muhialdin2022]
1 kgGreen olives[muhialdin2022]
1 kgJerusalem artichoke[muhialdin2022]
1 kgGreen chilli[muhialdin2022]
Brine at 12 % salt · To cover the vegetables[muhialdin2022]
25 % v/vDate syrup, in water, for the second ferment · Turshi medabis also uses apple cider and tamarind[muhialdin2022]
Starterback-slop (a portion of the previous batch) or spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 36 days – 56 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countL. plantarumLevilactobacillus brevisL. pentosusLacticaseibacillus casei

What changes: Washed vegetables are packed into a jar or tank

Step 1 of 4
Wash and pack the vegetables
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. plantarum
Levilactobacillus brevis
L. pentosus
Lacticaseibacillus casei
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: packed vegetables.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Torshi and turşu cover many pickles; this entry is the brine-fermented kind. Many Persian torshi are vinegar pickles and are not fermented. The Iraqi turshi medabis ferments twice, first in strong brine and then, after desalting, with date syrup.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Turshi mahshi (Nineveh, Iraq)Cucumbers and bell peppers from the first ferment are stuffed with coriander, parsley, garlic, celery and chilli, then fermented 3–5 days in water with 5 % lemon juice and 10 % date vinegar.
  • Persian vinegar torshi (e.g. torshi-ye liteh)Vinegar and eggplant; not fermented.
  • Turkish lahana turşusuBrined cabbage.

Safety

Home-made turshi caused a botulism outbreak among Middle Eastern immigrants in the United States. Iraqi turshi keeps about 10 days at room temperature but is best eaten within 2–3 days.

Hazards the sources name: Clostridium botulinum in home-made turshi (a botulism outbreak in a US immigrant community).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Turşu is one of the household fermented vegetables of Anatolia, alongside şalgam and hardaliye.

  1. [muhialdin2022] Muhialdin B.J., Filimonau V., Qasem J.M., Ibrahim S.A., Algboory H.L. 2022, Traditional fermented foods and beverages in Iraq and their potential for large-scale commercialization, J Ethnic Foods 9, doi:10.1186/s42779-022-00133-8paper
  2. [dallal2017] Soltan Dallal M.M., Zamaniahari S. et al. 2017, Identification and characterization of probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Persian pickled vegetables, GMS Hyg Infect Control 12, doi:10.3205/dgkh000300paper
  3. [harvey2017] Harvey R.R., Cooper R., Bennett S. et al. 2017, Outbreak of foodborne botulism in an immigrant community, Clin Infect Dis 66:S82–S84, doi:10.1093/cid/cix817paper
  4. [kabak2011] Kabak B., Dobson A.D. 2011, An introduction to the traditional fermented foods and beverages of Turkey, Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 51:248–260, doi:10.1080/10408390903569640paper
  5. [s1] Wikipedia, Pickling (regional table)wiki