Have you ever had a cornbread as shining as the sun?
This cornbread is a special bread made in a certain region of Turkey, called Black Sea Region. It is not a very common bread around the country. And if you know anyone from this region, they will tell you how irresistible this bread is. People of Blacksea region make it so often with ārealā cornmeal/ cornflour. What is that ārealā supposed to mean? They say that you can not have the best result with the cornmeal you buy from super market as it is no way similar to the one made in Black Sea Region. Cornmeal made in this region has a more bright yellow color with a very tempting fragrance whereas the market version is light yellow and with no fragrance at all. They strongly emphasize that this obvious difference stems from different grinding methods. Cornmeal is originally supposed to be ground in water mills, which are very rare these days. The packaged cornmeal at markets is ground in electric mills, which spoils their flavor. This is what people of that region say.
Another thing they say is that cornbread contains cornmeal, water and salt; no any additional ingredients and no other kind of flour. This bread doesnāt have a soft texture, it is a bit crispy and not melting in your mouth. Traditionally, people have it with yogurt, soup or butter. They take small pieces from this bread, toss into soup or yogurt and dig into these. Or they spread butter on it when it is still hot and have it at breakfast with a glass of Turkish black tea.
Is there a place famous for its cornmeal in your country too?
One of my students brought some cornmeal from this Black Sea Region, and it was the first time I saw a ārealā cornmeal. It was the real McCoy, not like the one I buy from supermarkets, so I asked her to buy some more for me this year. I never miss the opportunity of getting the original example of a food! She kindly accepted and brought it at the beginning of this term. So luckily I used ārealā cornmeal for this glossy cornmeal.
This was the first time I made cornbread, so I asked my student if she knew any recipe for it. She got the recipe from her grandma and shared with me. What a cooperation! I would like to thank her once more from here.
We enjoyed this cornbread just like people from Black Sea Region do and I loved it with soup the most while my husband loved it with butter.
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PrintCornbread
A wonderful smelling cornbread perfect with soups!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
- 3 cups corn flour
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder, optional
- 1 tbsp olive oil, to oil the oven tray
Instructions
- Mix corn flour, salt and baking powder.
- Pour hot water little by little. The dough will be as soft as cake batter.
- Oil an oven tray or a cake pan with a brush. Transfer the dough into it.
- Wet your hands and adjust the top of dough with your hands.
- Bake it at 180C until golden for about 40 minutes.
Keywords: cornbread with water, turkish cornbread
I’m Romanian so we eat a lot of cornbread(mamaliga,as it’s called here),it’s one of my favorite dishes,tho many consider it way to simple.We usually make it softer,because we use more water.Some make it so soft,that you need a spoon to consume it.We usually eat it with sour cream and cheese.I would recommend the next recipe: boil some eggs and mix them with grated cheese(i prefer cow cheese),butter and sour cream in a bowl.Then pour the cornbread(make it softer) on top of this mixture.It’s easy to make and delicious.Some make small holes in the cornbread and crack some eggs in them,then put the bowl(heat resistant) in the oven until the eggs on top are well done.
It’s also great with stews and other meat dishes.
Even though I love spices I can enjoy my food in purist form. I’d like to try this cornbread. It looks simple, delicious and authentic. Gotta love that.
This is the simplest cornbread, but I think the best one to accompany yogurt or soup. But I think spices or additional flavors would be great in it when you consider cornbread as a snack.
I have a friend from Romania on the Black Sea and they make the same bread called Mamaliga…sp? It is or porridge consistency, then left to set. Often it is layered with cheese, or just left plain and fried. In the Balkans it is called Proya (again – spelling – proja…) but there is flour in some regions there. Both places serve it with yogurt or fresh thick cream. Of course, this is so similar to Italy’s version. I would LOVE to get my hands on the corn flour from the Black Sea. I believe what they say!
š
Valerie
And you had me craving this so much – I stopped amid the response and mixed up a bowl that is now setting.
YUM!
š
valerie
Ha ha , i now see a cornbread that shines like the sun!
Looks real good on ur lovely blog!
This cornbread looks amazing!!….I haven’t tasted one before, don’t know why?….But I would definitely like to try this! š
You will get addicted if you try once!
The colour in the corn bread is amazing, and thanks for sharing about corn flour in the Black Sea Region, I love it when I learn stuff like this.
Mom says she tried to make this bread with the cornmeal she bought from market and the result was not as shiny. People in Black Sea Region are definitely so lucky! And I am lucky too to have that nice student bringing that special cornmeal to me.
Hi Zerrin! It’s so nice to stop by for a visit… The cornbread is deliciously golden for it caught my eye immediately. Terrific as a standalone or paired with a bazillion things – a wonderful dish indeed.
Yes, I agree it’s yummy even on its own, but most people might find it dry, so a cup of Turkish tea might also make a good pair for them.
Amazingly, there is a grain mill that uses water very close to me so I will have to visit it and see if they grind corn. Maybe it will end up similar (?). Thank you for sharing more of your country as well as this beautiful corn bread.
Wow! If there is a water mill nearby, go ask him! If they don’t grind corn there, you might at least cause them to think about it.
delicious looking cornbread
Oh Zerrin, I don’t think I’ve ever had a cornbread “as shining as the sun” (though I’d love to, of course!) We don’t really have a tradition of cornbread in Ireland, so it’s not something I make often – if I find some high quality cornmeal, I’ll have to give this a go.
If there is an Asian or Middle East market in your place, you might find high quality cornmeal. And I’m sure you will find a great way to combine it with potatoes.