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Coarse-grained bulgur (pilavlık bulgur) |
Bulgur, known as burghul in Middle Eastern and North African countries and as bulgur in Turkey, is produced from different types of wheat species, but more often from durum or durum wheat. (triticum durum). Wheat is a grass, a fasciculated cereal, with oval fruit belonging to the grass family and the genus triticum, having several species. The type of greatest commercial interest is triticum aestivum L. (common wheat) used in bakery, production of cakes, biscuits, pasta and confectionery products. The triticum durum type is mainly intended for the preparation of pasta. Bulgur is used most often in Middle Eastern, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine and is an integral part of traditional Turkish cuisine. To make bulgur, wheat grains are partially cooked, then dried in the sun, and finally broken. The dimensions of the grain, after splitting, are variable, as well as its color. As for the granules, there is the coarser-grained bulgur, similar to the grain of rice, normally used in the preparation of pilafs, and the very fine-grained bulgur, also known as tabbouleh wheat or kibbeh wheat, used especially in the preparation of köftes ( kaftas), kibbeh and wheat salads (kısır).
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| Fine-grained bulgur (köftelik bulgur) |
In terms of color, it varies between whitish, yellow and brown. The brown variant is whole grain bulgur. Fine-grained whole-grain bulgur is used almost exclusively for making raw kibbeh (çiğ köfte). In Portugal, bulgur can be purchased in herbalists dedicated to macrobiotic and vegetarian food and in some large supermarkets.
