Tutmaç Aşı
Tutmaç aşı is the Çorum version of the tutmaç tradition, counted among the oldest dishes of Anatolia. It is a filling aş made with lentils, small cut dough and garlicky yoghurt.
What it is
Tutmaç aşı is made by cooking and combining boiled lentils, noodles/dough cut into small squares, and garlicky yoghurt. Sizzling butter and chilli flakes are usually drizzled on top. Tutmaç has been mentioned in historical sources for centuries and lives on in Çorum in its local form.
The Çorum interpretation
Bringing dough, legumes and yoghurt together in one pot, tutmaç aşı is a typical example of Çorum’s aş culture (a filling dish between soup and main). It has relatives in the same culture such as tatar aşı and toyga aşı.
Cultural significance
Cheap, nourishing and sustaining, tutmaç aşı was once a mainstay of the winter kitchen; it is still remembered as a deep-rooted part of the local culinary identity.