Urfa biber
Capsicum annuum · Chilli pepper
Top 10 pairings
Urfa biber is a Turkish chilli named for the city of Urfa (Şanlıurfa) in the country's southeast — a ripe red pod cured by a distinctive "sweat-and-dry" method that turns it almost black and gives it a raisiny, chocolate-and-tobacco depth with a slow, mild heat. It is best known as coarse dark maroon flakes (pul biber), a cousin to the brighter, fruitier Aleppo pepper it is often served beside.
Picking a good onedrag
UnderripeOverripe
Red ripePeakIt's sweetest and hottest now. Roast it, make chilli oil or sauce, or string it to dry.
ColourFully turned, bright even red
The pressFirm, springs straight back
Cap and stalkCap green and tight, stalk firming
Smell at the capWarm and fruity over the green
These cues are Chilli's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
What you get from one
73%
Edible part
45 g · fresh pod, stem and seeds out
62 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
Below 7 °C the skin pits and the cap moulds: in two weeks at 5 °C, in days at 0 °C.
90-95%
Humidity
Loosely bagged
Airflow