Şalgam Suyu (Turkish Black Carrot Drink)
شالگام سویو (کالی گاجر کا ترکی مشروب)
If you've drunk kanji in a Pakistani winter, şalgam will feel familiar. It's a sour, salty, deep purple drink made by fermenting black carrots with water, salt and a little bulgur, from the southern Turkish city of Adana. It's served cold alongside Adana kebab and other grilled meat, often in a spicy version with chilli. The name means "turnip juice", though the colour and most of the flavour come from the carrots.
- ⏱ Total: 20 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Easy
- Serves 8
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Put the carrots, turnip, bulgur and salt into a large clean glass jar (a is ideal).
Pour in the cooled water, stir until the salt dissolves, cover loosely with a cloth and leave in a warm spot.
Stir once a day with a clean spoon. After 5–7 days it will be deep purple and pleasantly sour.
Strain, add chilli flakes if you like it spicy, chill and serve cold with kebabs.
Kitchen notes
Black carrots are in season in Pakistan from about December to February.
Use clean, dry utensils. If a thick white film or mould appears, throw the batch away.
Keep the strained drink in the fridge and finish within a week.
Adana’s drink
Şalgam suyu is the drink of southern Turkey, especially Adana and Mersin, where it’s poured in tall glasses next to plates of grilled kebab, raw onion and herbs. Its sour, salty taste cuts through rich, fatty meat, which is exactly why it’s served with kebabs. Bottled şalgam is sold all over Turkey, in plain (acısız) and spicy (acılı) versions.
Kanji’s cousin
Pakistani kanji and Turkish şalgam both come from black carrots fermented in salted water, and both turn the same striking purple. Kanji adds crushed mustard seeds for heat; şalgam adds a little bulgur, which feeds the fermentation and gives a rounder, more savoury flavour. If you make kanji every winter, you already know how to make şalgam.
Fermenting safely
Use a clean glass jar, boiled and cooled water and the full amount of salt, which keeps unwanted bacteria away. A thin layer of foam is normal; a thick film or fuzzy mould is not, and the batch should be thrown away.
Serving
Serve very cold in tall glasses with Adana kebab, tavuk şiş or a plate of lahmacun, with a few fermented carrot sticks on the side.
Questions people ask
How is it different from kanji?
Kanji gets its kick from mustard seeds. Şalgam uses no mustard; the bulgur helps it ferment and it tastes saltier and more savoury.
Does it contain alcohol?
No meaningful amount. It's a salty, lactic ferment, like pickles or kanji, not a yeast ferment.
Can I eat the carrots?
Yes. The fermented carrots are crunchy and sour, like a quick pickle.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 15
- Protein
- 0 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
