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| Place of origin | Armenia[1][2][3] |
|---|---|
| Associatedcuisine | Armenian cuisine Turkish cuisine |
| Main ingredients | must,nuts,flour orstarch[4] |
Pestil is a traditionaldried fruit pulp that is commonly produced inAnatolia andArmenia. It is known under different names such asbastegh orpastegh (Armenian:պաստեղ),t'tu lavash (Armenian:թթու լավաշ,lit. 'sour lavash'),bestil, andfruit leather.
Fruit leather is made from mechanically pulverizing fruit, then spreading it out to dry into a tough, yet flexible and edible material which can be kept preserved for several months in an airtight container. It is a popular dessert inArmenia andTurkey.[5]
Pestil might be made with different types of fruit besideplums.Pomegranates,grapes,apples,apricots,pears,peaches andwatermelons are popular choices.[6]
According toRobert Dankoff, the termbastik, used in much ofAnatolia includingBursa,Kayseri, andVan, derives fromArmenianpasteł (պաստեղ, "pastegh" / "fruit leather") which in turn derives fromAncient Greekpastillos (πάστιλλος, "pastille").[7] This word and the fruit leather it describes was first attested inMiddle Armenian asպաստեղ (pasteġ) in the year 1227 AD.[citation needed]
According to Turkish-Armenian linguistNişanyan Sevan,pestil andpastillo are cognates andpastillo might have derived from Italianpastello. The dictionary asserts that the relationship betweenpestil andFrenchpastille is ambiguous. The first Turkish attestation of the word is dated back to 1501 dictionaryCâmiü'l-Fürs.[8]
The origins ofpastegh may be traced back to the times whenArmenia was part of theAchaemenid Empire as theSatrapy of Armenia.[3][9]
Pestil is known asmalban (Arabic:ملبن) in Arabic.[10][11][12]
To makeArmenianpastegh, apricots, sour cherries, plums, grapes, or other fruits are pressed, and the juice is boiled with sugar and thickened withflour orcornstarch. This mixture is then spread evenly over heavy muslin sheets, about 1/8 inch thick, and left to dry overnight. The following day, the sheets are hung outdoors to finish drying. Once the fruit puree has dried, it is sprayed with water to facilitate easy removal from the muslin.[3]
A version of pestil calledMalban (Arabic:ملبن; not to be confused withjok malban, orTurkish delight, which is also called malban) is prepared in theLevant region,[10][12][13] it is made by boiling grape juice,semolina flour is added to the boiling grape juice, and finallynigella seeds are added to the mix, the resulting mix is shaped into a sheet of fruit leather.[13][14]
Malban is especially popular in the cities ofHebron andHoms,[13][15] Hebron in particular produces large amounts of grapes annually, some of which are turned into malban if fresh grapes remain unsold.[15][16] It is attested as early as 1923 inPalestinian folk songs according to ethnographerTawfiq Canaan.[17]
Media related toPestil at Wikimedia Commons Media related toT'tu lavash at Wikimedia Commons Media related toBastêq at Wikimedia Commons| History | |
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