Basturma

Basturma is a cured meat, covered in a red dried paste full of strong spices, cut into thin slices. Basturma became a minor phenomenon in the US, when food writer Jonathan Gold wrote about a then obscure Armenian deli in Los Angeles called Sahag’s.

Quotes

George N. of San Francisco:

“

Basturma might be described as prosciutto's foul-mouthed, harlot cousin. It's a cured cut of beef that's been salted and rubbed and slathered in a spicy paste of Armenian goodness consisting of things like fenugreek, garlic, and some heat bearing chili powderish substance. It makes for a very dry, spicy, cured meat that is quite novel tasting and, after a while, delicious.

”

Jonathan Gold:

“

The Armenian cured beef called basturma may be the most powerfully flavoured cold cut in the world, less a foodstuff than a force of nature, with a bit of the chewy translucence of first-reate Italian bresaola, a ripe, almost gamey back taste, and then – pow! – the onslaught of the seasoning, a caustic, bright-red slurry of hot pepper, fenugreek, and a truly heroic amount of garlic that hits the palate with all the subtle elegance of a detonated land mine.

”