shilke – Adiyaman

Şilke Recipe Şilke, a traditional local dessert, is made with different names and methods in almost every geography where Kurds live and is eaten with pleasure. The name of this dessert is etymologically Kurdish. Like many dishes and desserts from Kurdish cuisine, it takes its name from the way it is prepared. Since the dough of this dessert is runny and leaves a wet taste on the palate when eaten, the local people gave this dessert the name Şilke / Şileki, which can be translated into Turkish as “wet dessert”. It is known that this dessert, which has an important place in the ancient Adıyaman cuisine, is called nanê kaniki, meaning perforated bread, in other regions because holes form in the dough while baking, and in some regions, it is called nanê kevire, meaning “stone bread”, since the object on which it is baked is stone instead of sheet metal.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
300 g walnuts
1/2 liter molasses
3 tablespoons of butter
4 glasses of water

How It Is Made

In a deep pot, whisk 2 cups of flour with 4 cups of water by hand until it reaches a fluid dough consistency. The bottom of the sheet is burned and the top of the sheet is oiled to prevent the dough from sticking. Take a ladle from the prepared dough and pour it onto the sheet metal. Spread it thinly on the sheet metal using a rolling pin or a wooden spoon, and turn it to the other side when it’s cooked. The same process is applied to all dough. The walnuts are crushed and placed in a bowl. The breads (phyllo dough) baked on a sheet are counted and divided into two parts. The first half is laid on top of each other on a tray and walnuts are sprinkled on top. Then the second half is laid on top of each other. The syrup created by heating the molasses is poured hot over it, left for five to ten minutes, then cut into slices and served hot.

Note: Sugar syrup can also be poured. In this case, melt a spoon of oil in a pot, add 3 cups of sugar, add 1.5 cups of water and boil it until it reaches syrup consistency, then remove it from the heat.

Source: Öncü, M. (2016). Adıyaman Cemile Culinary Culture. Adıyaman Promotion Foundation Publications (ATAV)