Eetch
Encyclopedia
Eetch, otherwise known as eech, itch, metch, or one of several other variations), is a traditional Armenian
side dish made principally from bulgur
. It is somewhat similar to tabbouleh but much thicker and grainier (with far less parsley), and not as tangy. The color is red from crushed or pureed tomatoes. Common additional ingredients include onion
, parsley
, olive oil
, lemon
, paprika
, and bell peppers. Eetch can be eaten cold or warm. A similar dish is known as kısır
in Turkey
and used as a meze
. Eetch is colloquially known as mock kheyma, due to its characteristics as a vegetarian form of kheyma
.
Armenian cuisine
Armenian cuisine includes the foods and cooking techniques of the Armenian people, the Armenian diaspora and traditional Armenian foods and dishes. The cuisine reflects the history and geography where Armenians have lived as well as incorporating outside influences...
side dish made principally from bulgur
Bulgur
Bulgur is a cereal food made from several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. In the United States it is most often made from white wheat. Its use is most common in Middle Eastern cuisine, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Armenia and Bulgaria...
. It is somewhat similar to tabbouleh but much thicker and grainier (with far less parsley), and not as tangy. The color is red from crushed or pureed tomatoes. Common additional ingredients include onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
, parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
, paprika
Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot...
, and bell peppers. Eetch can be eaten cold or warm. A similar dish is known as kısır
Kisir
Kısır is a traditional Turkish side dish made from fine bulgur, parsley, and tomato paste. The main ingredient, bulgur, is a cereal food generally made from parboiled durum wheat. For kısır, a finely grounded bulgur, unlike the coarse bulgur used for pilav, or sometimes couscous is used...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and used as a meze
Meze
Meze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
. Eetch is colloquially known as mock kheyma, due to its characteristics as a vegetarian form of kheyma
Chee kufta
Chee kufta, Turkish çiğ köfte is a raw meat dish in Turkish, very similar to kibbeh nayyeh and to a lesser extent to steak tartare. It is made with either beef or lamb, and usually served as an appetizer in Turkish cuisines.-History:...
.