Tsoureki Explained

Tsoureki
Alternate Name:Katʿnahuncʿ or Bsatir
Country:Armenia,[1] Greece
Region:Balkans, Anatolia, Middle east
Type:Sweet bread
Variations:Savoury versions

Tsoureki (Greek, Modern (1453-);: τσουρέκι) also known as šurēk (شُريك, Arabic), čöreg, čʿorek, katʿnahuncʿ (Armenian Armenian: չէօրէկ, չորեկ, կաթնահունց), çörək (Azerbaijani), çyrek (Albanian), kozunak (Bulgarian Bulgarian: козунак), cozonac (Romanian) or paskalya çöreği (Turkish) is a sweet holiday bread made with flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar and commonly seasoned with orange zest, mastic resin, or mahlab. Lampropsomo, a variation of tsoureki commonly called "Greek Easter bread," is made by Greek communities during Easter, not only in Greece, but also in other countries with Greek communities. It is also called Armenian Easter bread and gets eaten during Easter in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.[2]

Etymology

The Greek word tsoureki is derived from the Turkish word çörek, meaning "round bread" in Old Turkic.[3] [4] Some dictionaries claim that this is derived from the Old Turkish root çevir- 'turn' or 'to make it round'.[5] The ancient Armenian name was "bsatir - պսադիր" ("bsag պսակ" - "crown" and "tir դիր", is the root of "tnel դնել" verb: "to put"). This Armenian name is in allusion to Christ’s crown of thorns.[6] [7]

Greek tradition

There are different variations of the Greek tsoureki holiday breads including a round Christmas loaf with a cross decoration called Christopsomo, a braided Easter bread with whole dyed eggs pressed into the dough called lampropsomo, and a loaf with a coin hidden inside for good luck called vasilopita that is baked for St. Basil's Day (New Year's Day).[8]

Easter bread

Tsoureki is made for Easter in Greece and among the Greek diaspora.[9] It is made from a sweet yeast dough of flour, sugar, eggs, butter and milk, with dyed red Easter eggs pressed into the dough.[10] The dough is brushed with egg wash before baking, and sometimes flavored with mahlep, mastic resin or orange zest. Other flavorings might include almond extract, cinnamon, sultanas or fennel seed.[11] [12] [13] [14]

This bread is sometimes called "Armenian Easter bread".[15] In Armenian, the common name is choreg (Armenian: չորեկ) or choreg (Armenian: չէօրէկ), from the Turkish, with the Armenian name gatnahunts (Armenian: կաթնահունց) being less common. Before baking choreg, the surface is painted with egg yolk, and the heat of the oven browns it until it acquires a reddish-brown tone that represents the blood of Christ. Traditional Armenian choreg omits the dyed Easter eggs.[16]

Its Turkish name is Turkish: paskalya çöreği 'Easter çörek'. It does not include whole eggs pressed into the dough as decoration.[17] [18] Some recipes substitute a neutral-flavored oil, such as sunflower oil, and margarine in place of milk and butter.[19] The dough may be seasoned with orange zest, vanilla, mahlep and slivered almonds.[20] [21]

Sometimes tsoureki is used as a gift for special occasion, for instance, it can be given as an Easter gift from children to their godparents.

Christmas bread

Christopsomo, which translates as "Christ's bread", is a traditional Greek holiday bread that is sometimes decorated with whole walnuts, sesame seeds and slivered almonds.[22] Also called Christmas fruit bread, the tsoureki dough may include a combination of raisins, dried apricots, dried figs, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cardamom, Mastic (plant resin) and mahleb.[23] [24] (Some recipes suggest marinating the raisins and dried figs overnight in wines like retsina or mavrodaphne).[25] Some of the dough is set aside for the loaf's cross-shaped decoration.[26]

The bread may be glazed with a syrup made from honey, orange juice, and slivered almonds.

See also

References

  1. Roufs, Timothy G.; Roufs, Kathleen Smyth (2014-07-29). Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-221-2.
  2. Book: Davidson, Alan. Oxford Symposium. 978-0-907325-07-9. National & Regional Styles of Cookery: Proceedings : Oxford Symposium 1981. 1981-01-01. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514164250/https://books.google.com/books?id=zcNdB_sl2JkC. 2016-05-14. live.
  3. Web site: çörek . 2024-06-06 . Nişanyan Sözlük . tr.
  4. News: Chrysopoulos . Philip . 3 May 2024 . Tsoureki: The Traditional Sweet Bread of Greek Easter . 6 June 2024 . The Greek Reporter.
  5. Web site: çörek . Etymological Dictionary of Contemporary Turkish . 2017-05-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044042/http://www.nisanyansozluk.com/?k=%C3%A7%C3%B6rek&lnk=1 . 2017-12-01 . live .
  6. Book: Dwight, Harry Griswold. Constantinople, Old and New. 1915. Longmans, Green. 331. 2017-05-12.
  7. Web site: Chefs prepare Easter feasts with special dishes, breads . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180102215241/http://www.bostonherald.com/lifestyle/food_beverage/2017/04/chefs_prepare_easter_feasts_with_special_dishes_breads . 2018-01-02 .
  8. Book: Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-931362-4. The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. 2015-04-01 .
  9. Book: Davidson, Alan. Oxford Symposium. 978-0-907325-07-9. National & Regional Styles of Cookery: Proceedings : Oxford Symposium 1981. 1981-01-01. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514164250/https://books.google.com/books?id=zcNdB_sl2JkC. 2016-05-14. live.
  10. Web site: Kochilas . Diane . 2013-05-02 . Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread) . 2022-04-18 . Diane Kochilas . en-US.
  11. Web site: Greek Easter Bread. Food Network. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180323204455/https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/greek-easter-bread-recipe-2042563. 2018-03-23. live.
  12. Web site: Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread). Martha Stewart. 2018-07-22. 2013-02-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20170621224957/http://www.marthastewart.com/968095/tsoureki-greek-easter-bread. 2017-06-21. live.
  13. Web site: Tsoureki bread (Greek Easter bread). BBC Food. 2018-07-22.
  14. Web site: Paul Hollywood's Tsoureki- Greek Easter Bread Recipe. PBS Food. 2018-07-22. 2018-03-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004044/http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/paul-hollywoods-tsoureki-greek-easter-bread/. 2018-07-23. live.
  15. Book: ABC-CLIO. 978-1-61069-221-2. Roufs. Timothy G. . Roufs. Kathleen Smyth. Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. 2014-07-29 .
  16. Web site: Chefs prepare Easter feasts with special dishes, breads. 12 April 2017. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102215241/http://www.bostonherald.com/lifestyle/food_beverage/2017/04/chefs_prepare_easter_feasts_with_special_dishes_breads. 2018-01-02. live.
  17. Web site: Paskalya Çöreği tarifi… En lezzetli gerçek Paskalya Çöreği nasıl yapılır?. April 2018. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401153237/https://www.sozcu.com.tr/hayatim/gurme/paskalya-coregi-tarifi-en-lezzetli-gercek-paskalya-coregi-nasil-yapilir/. 2018-04-01. live.
  18. Web site: Soysal. Sahrap. Mahlepli paskalya çöreği. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20170507061013/http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/mahlepli-paskalya-coregi-26303808. 2017-05-07. live.
  19. Web site: Paskalya çöreği tarifi - Hamurişi Haberleri. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160814183522/http://www.milliyet.com.tr/paskalya-coregi-tarifi-pembenar-detay-hamurisi-2256523/. 2016-08-14. live.
  20. Arda'nın Mutfağıundefined (Director). Paskalya Çöreği - Arda’nın Mutfağı. 2018-07-22. 321 seconds. https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004043/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p85SeyoxcQ. 2018-07-23. live.
  21. Nursel'in Evi. Paskalya Çöreği Tarifi. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004043/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMwmFdxnYZM. 2018-07-23. live.
  22. Book: Kochilas, Diane. Macmillan. 978-0-312-08783-8. The Food and Wine of Greece: More Than 250 Classic and Modern Dishes from the Mainland and Islands. 1993-03-15 .
  23. Book: Guinn, Jeff. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. 978-0-399-16064-6. Santa's North Pole Cookbook: Classic Christmas Recipes from Saint Nicholas Himself. 2012.
  24. Book: Hensperger, Beth. Harvard Common Press. 978-1-55832-156-4. Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker's 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread-From Every Kind of Machine. 2000-04-30. 2018-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004043/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ew8rS8PCkpoC&pg=PT544. 2018-07-23. live.
  25. Book: Hoffman, Susanna. Workman Publishing. 978-0-7611-3468-8. The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking. 2004 . registration. 142.
  26. Pasteleria Artesana. Programa N° 53: 1 de diciembre 2012: Algunas Historias... Christopsomo. 2018-07-22.

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