![\"A\u015fure](\"https:\/\/ezb966kqson.exactdn.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sweetlore-photos-20261028\/38552af1aa9827522ff7cc9c4fb53d1c652af4dfa6d9ab8e3824a38f9102b5ec.jpg?strip=all&quality=90&webp=92&avif=55&w=1920\")
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Cooking separately before everything goes into one pot<\/h2>\n
A\u015fure is made by simmering many kinds of ingredients, but they are not always all cooked together from the start. Wheat, chickpeas and dried white beans absorb water and cook at different rates. To keep the fruit from falling apart while the beans are still hard in the center, or to keep the wheat from cooking down too much on its own, one method is to soak each ingredient separately and cook each one on its own before combining them.<\/p>\n
In the recipe (the proportions of ingredients and the method) from Turkey\u2019s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, hulled wheat called d\u00f6vme is simmered until its starch is released into the cooking liquid. This forms the base of the sweet\u2019s thickness. The beans are each cooked until soft in advance, and the dried apricots, dried figs and raisins are also soaked in water. After everything is simmered together, citrus is added, sugar goes in toward the end, and rose water is stirred in after the heat is turned off.<\/p>\n
In this order, the thickness drawn from the grain and the softness of the beans are settled first, and the aroma and sweetness of the fruit are layered on afterward. Walnuts or pomegranate placed on top of the bowl add the texture of fresh seeds and nuts to the softness of the long-simmered ingredients. The finished dish depends not only on the number of ingredients but also on the state in which each one is combined.<\/p>\n Besides the methods that keep the grains whole, there is also S\u00fczme Saray A\u015furesi, made by straining well-cooked wheat. In the method given in Istanbul cultural records, the wheat is soaked in water overnight and cooked until soft, then strained and returned to the pot, and small raisins and sugar are added. It is scented with rose water or similar flavorings, divided into bowls, scattered with almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios, and served chilled.<\/p>\n The sweetness of a\u015fure does not come only from white sugar. Some styles use a concentrated fruit syrup called pekmez, which also changes the color and flavor. The \u00c7orum region has a style called \u201cPekmezli Hedik,\u201d and in Gaziantep, the addition of anise has been recorded.<\/p>\n The grains vary as well. Rice may be mixed with the wheat, and sometimes rice replaces the wheat. Almonds or hazelnuts may be added among the nuts, and broad beans or black-eyed peas among the legumes. The combination of grains, legumes and fruit changes depending on local ingredients.<\/p>\n A cookbook from Mu\u011fla Province lists, as a local feature, a\u015fure made by simmering cracked wheat, beans and fruit and then sprinkling it with sesame seeds or pomegranate. The cookbook also records the custom of sharing it while it is still warm and sprinkling sesame seeds on it when serving.<\/p>\n Apart from the plant-based a\u015fure widely known today, in some regions a small amount of meat from the Feast of the Sacrifice is preserved and added.<\/p>\n Recipes made in Japan also vary. The culinary researcher Kyoko Ogino teaches a method in which rice, bulgur (a cracked wheat), cooked beans, dried fruit and nuts are simmered together, with milk added at the end. Unlike the method of soaking dried beans separately, this example uses beans that are already cooked and also adds milk.<\/p>\n The name a\u015fure is linked to \u02bf\u0100sh\u016br\u0101\u02be, which means \u201cthe tenth day\u201d in Arabic. The sweet is associated with the 10th day of Muharrem, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and there is a custom of making and sharing it during this month. Because this calendar follows the cycle of the moon, the time of year when a\u015fure is made shifts from year to year on the solar calendar.<\/p>\n One story about a\u015fure says that when the food on Noah\u2019s Ark was running low, people gathered the grains, fruit and other ingredients they had on hand and cooked them together. According to the story, they made it to express their gratitude to God after the flood subsided and the Ark came to rest on a mountain. The sweet, which brings many ingredients together, is linked to this story of sharing scarce supplies.<\/p>\n Separate from the story of Noah\u2019s pot, a\u015fure also has a context of mourning and fasting. The killing of Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, together with members of his family and others at Karbala in 680, is linked to the mourning observed in the month of Muharrem.<\/p>\n Among the ways of sharing a\u015fure recorded in Anatolia are customs of offering prayers over the sweet and giving it first to the sick and to children. The bowl received is returned unwashed, and leftover a\u015fure is poured at the base of fruit trees in the hope that they will bear more fruit. In these customs, prayer is connected not only to the people who eat the a\u015fure but also to returning the bowl and dealing with what is left over.<\/p>\n The custom of sharing is not limited to households, either. Records from the Ottoman court from the 18th to the early 19th century show that a\u015fure was prepared and distributed on the 10th of Muharrem. The court account books make it possible to trace everything from the procurement of ingredients to the bowls, the recipients and payments to those who carried it. The sweet, simmered in large pots, was used in court ceremonies and also distributed outside the court.<\/p>\n In the Tunceli region, where the Alevi faith is widespread, there is a custom of mourning the dead through the Muharrem fast, during which people do not eat meat and avoid harming living creatures. After the 12-day fast, some people make and distribute a\u015fure to give thanks that Husayn\u2019s son Zayn al-Abidin survived and that the Prophet\u2019s lineage continued.<\/p>\n The name connected with the 10th day, the 12 days of mourning and the sweet distributed afterward each carry different meanings. The same sweet carries not only the story of Noah\u2019s gratitude but also customs of mourning the dead and remembering those who survived.<\/p>\n The custom of sharing also continues in concrete form in Istanbul today. In the household where the pastry chef Shusaku Hayashi learned to make a\u015fure, the cook gathered 41 kinds of ingredients, counting even water and a single sesame seed. This number is not shared by every household; it was a number that this particular cook held important. Where Hayashi stayed, he also heard about students who put up notes on their mailboxes asking for a\u015fure, and neighbors who learned it was being made came with bowls to collect some.<\/p>\n Dishes of grain cooked sweet also appear on the tables of other religious communities in Anatolia. Armenian anoushabour<\/a> is a Christmas and New Year sweet made by simmering wheat or barley with dried fruit. The Armenian Institute\u2019s method uses no beans; the cooked grain is left to rest overnight, and fruit and sugar are added the next day. Although both involve sharing a soft, sweet grain dish, they differ in their ingredients and in the calendar dates on which they are made.<\/p>\n The Orthodox Church\u2019s koliva is wheat cooked without leaving any cooking liquid, spread on a plate and decorated with fruit and nuts in patterns such as a cross; it is used in rites mourning the dead. The Sephardic Jewish trigo cocho combines cooked wheat with sugar, ground walnuts and cinnamon and is served at Tu BiShvat, the New Year of the Trees. The common technique of simmering wheat takes on a different form and meaning in each community.<\/p>\n Di\u015f bu\u011fday\u0131, which celebrates a child\u2019s first tooth, is another wheat dish that survives in Turkey. There are sweetened and savory versions, and it is shared with the people around the family in celebration of the child\u2019s growth after birth.<\/p>\n S\u00fczme Saray A\u015furesi<\/strong>: A palace-style a\u015fure from Istanbul in which the wheat is cooked and then strained.<\/p> Anoushabour<\/strong>: An Armenian sweet of grain simmered with dried fruit. It is served at Christmas and New Year.<\/p> Koliva<\/strong>: A dish of cooked wheat decorated with fruit and nuts, served at Orthodox memorials and on other occasions.<\/p> Sephardic<\/strong>: A term for Jewish communities with historical ties to the Iberian Peninsula and other regions.<\/p> Trigo cocho<\/strong>: A Sephardic festive dish that combines cooked wheat with sugar, walnuts and cinnamon.<\/p> Tu BiShvat<\/strong>: The New Year of the Trees in the Jewish calendar. In this article, it appears as an occasion on which a sweet wheat dish is served.<\/p> Di\u015f bu\u011fday\u0131<\/strong>: A dish that celebrates a child\u2019s first tooth; its Turkish name is connected with the words for tooth and wheat.<\/p> Kyoko Ogino<\/strong>: A culinary researcher who studies and teaches home cooking from various regions. This article discusses her a\u015fure method using boiled beans and milk.<\/p> Bulgur<\/strong>: A cracked grain made from processed wheat. Ogino\u2019s recipe uses it together with rice.<\/p> Shusaku Hayashi<\/strong>: A pastry chef who researches and makes regional sweets from around the world. He has written an account of his experience of making and sharing a\u015fure in Istanbul.<\/p> D\u00f6vme<\/strong>: Hulled wheat. It is used as the grain for a\u015fure.<\/p> Pekmez<\/strong>: A concentrated syrup made by boiling down the juice of grapes or other fruit.<\/p> \u02bf\u0100sh\u016br\u0101\u02be<\/strong>: A name for the tenth day of the month of Muharrem. It is related to the name a\u015fure.<\/p> Muharrem<\/strong>: The first month of the Islamic calendar.<\/p> Recipe<\/strong>: The complete set of ingredient proportions and method.<\/p> Alevi<\/strong>: A faith community found in Anatolia and other regions. Fasting and mourning in the month of Muharrem, and the distribution of a\u015fure, are practiced within it.<\/p> Noah<\/strong>: A figure in the legend of a\u015fure who survived the Great Flood and is said to have combined the remaining ingredients with other people in a single pot.<\/p> Husayn<\/strong>: Grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He was killed at Karbala in 680, and his death is linked to the mourning observed in the month of Muharrem.<\/p> Muhammad<\/strong>: The Prophet of Islam. In this article, he appears as Husayn\u2019s grandfather.<\/p> Zayn al-Abidin<\/strong>: Son of Husayn. In some cases, the distribution of a\u015fure is linked to gratitude for his survival and the continuation of the lineage.<\/p> Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mu\u011fla Province cookbook, \u201cA\u015fure\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Wheat with beans and fruit, a finish of sesame seeds or pomegranate, and sharing while warm.<\/p>\n<\/li> dancyu, Kyoko Ogino, \u201cA\u015fure: A Sweet Soup of Beans and Nuts\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Ingredients and steps actually read. An individual recipe using boiled beans, rice and bulgur, with milk added at the end.<\/p>\n<\/li> Lotte, Shusaku Hayashi, \u201cA\u015fure\u201d<\/a> \u2014 A first-hand account from 2020. A household that gathered 41 kinds of ingredients, notes on mailboxes and neighbors bringing bowls.<\/p>\n<\/li> Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, \u201cAsure\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Ingredients, steps and Notes re-read on 2026-10-27. Separate soaking and cooking, regional examples of syrup, anise and meat, and the Noah legend.<\/p>\n<\/li> Turkish Culture Portal, \u201cA\u015eURE\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Text, ingredients and method re-read on 2026-10-27. Variation in dates, ingredients and purposes between communities, the custom of returning bowls, and pouring a\u015fure for fruit trees and the beliefs behind it.<\/p>\n<\/li> Turkish Culture Portal, \u201cMUHARREM ORUCU – Tunceli\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Description re-read on 2026-10-27. Used only for fasting, mourning and distribution from the 12th day onward in Tunceli.<\/p>\n<\/li> Fatma \u00dcnyay A\u00e7\u0131kg\u00f6z, \u201cOsmanl\u0131 Saray\u0131nda A\u015fure Yap\u0131m\u0131 ve Da\u011f\u0131t\u0131m\u0131\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Abstract and bibliography of the 2019 paper re-read on 2026-10-27. Court account books on cooking and distribution from the 18th to the early 19th century. The original account books and the full PDF of the paper have not been read.<\/p>\n<\/li> Turkish Culture Portal, \u201cS\u00fczme Saray A\u015furesi – \u0130stanbul\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Ingredients and all steps actually read on 2026-10-27. The straining step, raisins, rose water and nuts, and chilling. Not used as proof of an invention in 1870 or of creation by a specific person.<\/p>\n<\/li> Mary Isin, \u201cAdam and Eve\u2019s Wheat Porridge\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The author-published text of the 2021 paper; printed pages 72\u201382 and some of the notes actually read on 2026-10-27. Koliva, trigo cocho and the first-tooth dish. It does not establish a single direct line from ancient agriculture to the present-day sweet.<\/p>\n<\/li>![\"A\u015fure](\"https:\/\/ezb966kqson.exactdn.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sweetlore-photos-20261028\/b697f99f273e807bf933b40ee9adba7d2a68c6f639f3765937b95f2c77ea2615.jpg?strip=all&quality=90&webp=92&avif=55&w=1920\")
\nA palace-style version made with strained wheat<\/h2>\n
Regional flavors that depend on more than sugar<\/h2>\n
![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/ezb966kqson.exactdn.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sweetlore-photos-20261028\/d4fac9321d81f041b41bf888fdcc1f2433bcd2ebb65ba4095bf306ec24780ead.jpg?strip=all&quality=90&webp=92&avif=55&w=1920\")
\n\u201cThe tenth day\u201d and the story of Noah\u2019s pot<\/h2>\n
Sweet wheat dishes that connect different calendars and celebrations<\/h2>\n
Glossary<\/h2>\n
References<\/h2>\n
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