Shalgham

Name: Shalgham
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Iraqi
Ingredients: 1kg small turnips, peeled and halved; 4 tbsp date syrup (dibis); 1 tsp salt; Water to cover

شلغم/SHAL-gham/

Also known as: Iraqi Turnips with Date Syrup, Boiled Turnips

About this dish

Turnips simmered until tender and glazed with date syrup, sold steaming hot from street carts in the Iraqi winter.

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Ingredients

🥔1kg small turnips, peeled and halved

🌴4 tbsp date syrup (dibis)

🧂1 tsp salt

💧Water to cover

Method

Serves 4

Put the turnips in a pot, cover with water and add the salt.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 40–60 minutes until very tender.

Stir in the date syrup and simmer for 15 minutes more, so the turnips take on a deep reddish-brown colour.

Let some of the liquid reduce if you like it sweeter and thicker.

Serve hot in cups or bowls with a little of the cooking liquid.

✓ What Makes it Authentic

Shalgham is a classic winter street food in Baghdad and across Iraq, believed to help ward off colds and served in a cup with its cooking juices.

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