Greg
(Verified buyer)
05/26/2014
Urfa Biber
And i'm always looking for a new chile experience. though i'm not shy about heat, my main interest is flavor. to that end, i've been a long time exponent of the oaxacan exotics from southern mexico, like the chilhuacle rojo, chilhuacle negro, and the wonderful smoked pasilla de oaxaca,.
lately, i've been playing with the urfa biber pepper from turkey and it's rapidly become a favorite. this has to be the most versatile dried pepper i've found. hitting notes of smokey, raisiny, chocolatey goodness, it's flavor profile seemingly works with everything. very fragrant, with a mild, slowly building, heat, and an enticing, earthy, yet almost floral, aroma like a good big zinfandel.
great in traditional pepper-destinations like salsas and moles, or sprinkled on pizza, it is equally at home in a curry, a couscous, a paella, in yogurt, on popcorn, or on a mango or slice of cheese. in fact, i haven't found anything it doesn't pair well with. i'll even admit to occasionally just taking a pinch, to savor it in it's pure form. it's that good!
as usual, spices inc. has top quality product, with perfect moisture content, and no age-related oxidation issues. a welcome addition to my culinary arsenal.