The Turkish Pantry: Pul Biber, Sumac, Salça, Pomegranate Molasses and What to Swap
The Turkish pantry staples worth buying first: pul biber, salça, nar ekşisi, sumac, and fine bulgur. Honest substitutes for each, plus how to store them.
Turkish cooking gets much of its character from a short list of ingredients: chili flakes, tomato and pepper pastes, a sour molasses, and a few grains and cheeses. You can cook a lot of the cuisine with a standard supermarket shelf, but the flavor gap is real. This guide covers what each staple does, what can stand in for it, and which five to buy first.
The five things to buy first
- Pul biber (Maraş-style pepper flakes): sweet, fruity, and moderately hot. It goes on eggs, yogurt, salads, and grilled meat.
- Domates salçası (tomato paste, concentrated): the base of stews and sauces. Fry it in oil before anything else goes in.
- Nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses): thick, sour, and bright. It is the finishing sour in many salads and ezme.
- Fine bulgur (köftelik): soaked in hot water or lemon juice for kısır and köfte mixes.
- Sumac: lemony and dry, sprinkled over onions, salads, and yogurt.
Peppers: pul biber, isot, and biber salçası
Pul biber is the everyday flake. Hotter and smokier versions exist, so check the bag. İsot (Urfa-style dried pepper) is dark, nearly black, oily, and slightly raisiny, with a mild heat. It is a finishing flavor, not a substitute for flakes. Biber salçası is pepper paste, sold sweet (tatlı) or hot (acı). The sweet kind is the common one in breakfast spreads and stews; the hot kind adds heat to the same dishes.
Tomato paste, bulgur, and dairy
Domates salçası is traditionally made by cooking down tomatoes, so the store version is a thick, concentrated paste. Fry a spoonful in oil for a minute or two until it darkens slightly, which removes its raw edge. Beyaz peynir is a brined white cheese. Kaymak is clotted cream. Yufka is a thin, unleavened sheet close to phyllo, and it dries out quickly once exposed to air.
Swap table, with honest notes
| Turkish staple | Stand-in | How close it is |
|---|---|---|
| Pul biber | Aleppo pepper, or mild chili flakes with a little paprika | Aleppo is closest; plain flakes are hotter and less fruity |
| İsot | Aleppo pepper, lightly crushed | Loses the oily, raisin note; no true match |
| Sumac | Lemon zest with a pinch of salt | Brighter and less perfumed; use a little more |
| Nar ekşisi | Lemon juice with a little sugar | Gets the sourness; the molasses body is missing |
| Domates salçası | Tomato paste, 1:1 | Good; cook it a little longer in oil |
| Biber salçası | Red pepper paste, or paprika with tomato paste | Harissa is spicier and seasoned, so use less |
| Pekmez (grape molasses) | Date syrup or honey | Sweet, but neither has the tang |
| Kaymak | Clotted cream, or mascarpone with a little butter | Close in richness, not identical |
| Beyaz peynir | Feta, rinsed if very salty | Good; feta is saltier and sharper |
| Fine bulgur | Instant couscous | Works for kısır; the texture is softer |
| Yufka | Phyllo | Works for börek; cover it with a damp towel |
| Kekik | Dried oregano | Close; kekik is a wild herb of the oregano-thyme family |
| Sucuk | Spanish chorizo | Different spicing; use the same amount |
| Pastırma | Bacon or pancetta with smoked paprika | A different dish; no true match |
Storage
- Pul biber and sumac: airtight, dark, and cool. Flakes lose aroma over months, so replace them when they smell flat.
- Opened salça: refrigerated, with a thin layer of oil on top to slow drying.
- Nar ekşisi and pekmez: a cool cupboard and a tight lid. Both keep for months; warm the molasses slightly before pouring if it has thickened.
- Bulgur and yufka: bulgur in an airtight container; yufka covered and refrigerated or frozen, then thawed before use.
The key takeaway: buy pul biber, domates salçası, nar ekşisi, fine bulgur, and sumac first. Those five cover most of the everyday cooking. Use the swap table when a shop is out, but know which swaps are close and which are only a compromise.
Put the pantry to work in acılı ezme and kısır, the two dishes where nar ekşisi and fine bulgur carry the most flavor. For the wider shelf, see the flavor pantry guide, and the acid guide explains why sour molasses works so well. The substitutes index has more swaps.