Type | Pudding |
---|---|
Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | Turkey |
Region or state | Eastern Thrace |
Serving temperature | Cold |
Main ingredients | Rice, saffron, sugar, raisins, pistachios |
215 kcal (900 kJ) | |
Zerde is a Turkish dessert, a sort of sweet pudding from rice that is colored yellow with saffron. It is a festive dish popular at wedding, birth celebrations and during the first ten days of the sacred month of Muharram.
In Turkey, zerde is very popular in regions where traditionally paddy fields are found. In Edirne Province at Eastern Thrace, which provides almost the half of country's rice production, zerde is a favored dessert. Flavoring ingredients of zerde vary slightly from region to region in Turkey depending on the local fruits.
Zerde differs from rice pudding insofar as it is prepared with water instead of milk.
One serving of zerde has approximately 215 calories.
Typical ingredients of zerde are:
Put saffron in rose water to dissolve in two hours. Soak raisins in warm water to get plumped. Dissolve corn starch in 1/2 cup water.
Boil rice in remaining water until it gets soft. Add starch solution, sugar, rose water with saffron and curcuma. Temper while constantly stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender. Remove from heat and let it to cool down.
Pour zerde in serving cups. Decorate by adding raisins and pistachios on top. Cool in refrigerator. Serve cold as dessert.