Kishk.

[ChefCrash]

I think the correct response this time is an emoticon:

Patrick

I really resembled this emoticon when it was time to mill:)

But really, if you have any questions please ask. I have a hard time conveying my thoughts in words. I don't mind trying again.

This stuff better be amazingly good for all that work. Either that or you need 9 Greek grandmothers and aunts hanging around the house happy to do it.

Sylvia

Fortunately, the best Kishk (among other staples), is still made by grandmothers. Unfortunately, they are few and won't be around for ever and I don't see the younger generations carrying on the art.

CHEF! You got me to log back in after a few years away by using the fast track to my heart. This is my favorite topic ever. I can't thank you enough for doing this and for bringing my attention to it. I'll be following closely. Love this! Yeslamu idaykum.

Good to hear from you Verjuice

Where have you had Kishk? I know you've lived in and traveled to more Mid Eastern countries than I have.

Can you get good Kishk in the High Dessert?

It's amazing that you are making this yoursefl Chef. Now I will have a record of it in case I ever want to try....

That's exactly why we do this, not only for you but for us too:) Also, according to someone who worked at a Mid Eastern food store, the ingredients on a bag of Tarhana included fish roe. I have searched the web and haven't been able to confirm that.

This stuff better be amazingly good for all that work. Either that or you need 9 Greek grandmothers and aunts hanging around the house happy to do it.

It does look like a lot of work. I think it might be easier for me to just pack up all my stuff and move in next door to you.

There goes the neighborhood. Wouldn't be easier if I shipped you some.

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201106/gaza.s.food.heritage.htm

Coincidence? I don't know. But the new issue of Saudi Aramco World has an article on the old foods of Gaza, and there was Kishk. Two references in one day. If you don't want to read the whole article (I thought it was very interesting) look for the Kishk under the picture of the stew, and another picture of an old lady holding a ball of it. An interesting product and procedr for sure.

Thanks for the link I hadn't seen that one. I love Aramco World. If you get a chance, Google Eric Hansen's article, "Of Yogurt and Yoruks" in the july/august 2008 issue of aramco world mag.

Edited November 29, 2011 by ChefCrash (log)

[patrickamory]

So Chef, when are we getting the milling post? Eager anticipation here.

[Verjuice]

Chef, my family (in the UAE) always have kishk in the freezer given to them by someone (generally someone lucky enough to have a grandmother who's still alive). i eat that when i visit them, and then i bring back a jar of green kishk every time i go to lebanon. and... I'll admit it, I buy bags and bags of kishk from a little Lebanese roastery in Abu Dhabi and I bring that back with me to the US. I know the commercial stuff is usually inedible, but this really isn't all that bad. I eat kishk several times a week, so for me mediocre kishk is better than no kishk. And no, definitely none available in the high desert.

[ChefCrash]

Sorry we got derailed for a little while.

So we started with 2 gallons of milk ~ 17 lbs and 2.2 lbs of Burghul for a total of say 20 lbs including the yogurt culture. Take away 1 lb of green Kish to test and consume, that left 19 lbs before dehydration.

After drying, we ended up with 2 lbs 15 oz of Kishk ready to be milled. That is a 15.5% yield.

I have a hand cranked Corona mill from our beer brewing days (15 yrs ago), I recall it was crappy at simply cracking barley. So we decided to use the food processor.

After about an hour of this:

And this:

We ended up with this, my wife even made a bag for it:

We were left with 1 lb 3 oz of Kishk that stayed behind in the sifter and refused to be milled:), and 1 lb 15 oz of pretty fine Kishk, a little gritty but acceptable.

The results:

While the green Kishk tasted great to us we had no reference to compare to. For the dry stuff however, we are able to compare to good Kishk sent from home. When I stick my nose in the bag of Kishk from Lebanon and take a whiff, the aroma pulls my face in and fills my head leaving me mesmerized and wanting more.

The one we made doesn't do that. It's tangy, it tastes much better than any store bought stuff, but not as funky and blue-cheesy.

It just isn't "The most intensely delicious thing on earth", yet!!

We have another batch in the works:)

To be continued...

Edited December 13, 2011 by ChefCrash (log)

[nolafoodie]

Interesting post -- this will make me look at kishk (or in my Palestinian villager "falla7i" accent, chishich -- try saying that 5x fast!) in a different light. To be honest, the chishich I know is a bit different from your kishk. The stuff we used to get came in the form of grapefruit-sized balls that could be pulverized to a powdery consistency. I was always under the impression that they were 100% yogurt rather than yogurt blended with bulgur. Do you know if these kishk balls are the same as your kishk powder, or are they cousins bearing a familial resemblance?

In my community (people from a village near Ramallah and Jerusalem, many still living in the village and many living here in the U.S.), kishk is used not so much for eating straight, but rather in the soup/sauce for mansaf. To be honest, my family has never been fond of kishk, finding it too funky and too goaty for their tastes, but I don't mind mansaf made with a little of the stuff (I'm not a fan of goat milk and cheese consumed alone, but consider them nice additions in small doses).

So, now I wonder whether your results, "not as funky and blue cheesy," may have had to do with using cow's milk for your yogurt. I wonder what would happen if you used sheep's milk, goat's milk, or some combination.

[Hassouni]

So, after a few delicious mana'ish kishk, how is it done for that? I remarked that it's red and you said there's tomato paste, but what exactly is the procedure?

[Rana]

My mom loves it, in UAE some people cook as done up but with meat and onion and sometimes with chickpeas. I personally think it is too heavy but come on it is YUMMY!!