Centuries Before Fruit Roll-Ups Hit Grocery Store Shelves, Pastegh - Made from Mashed and Dried Fruits - were Popular and Important Foodstuffs in a Bedouin Saddlebag.
Pastegh (or Bastegh) is basically a fruit leather. A mixture of fruit, sugar and juice is cooked down and then spread onto a muslin cloth or onto a shallow baking sheet to dry into a very chewy fruit roll. Ancient in origin, fruit leathers are one of several methods used in the Middle East to preserve fruit and make them easily transportable in an arid climate, where the roots of nomadic cultures run deep. Here is a recipe for the mashed fruit variety. Please click on this link for Paper Candy.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of mashed, ripe quince, apples or pears
- ½ Cup of sugar
- ½ Cup of water
- ½ to 1 stick of cinnamon (optional – but its adds a nice bit of spice).
- ½ Cup of confectioner’s sugar for dipping
Preparing the Mashed Fruit:
- Peel and core one large or 2 small to medium fruits and cut into pieces.
- Simmer the pieces in enough water to cover the fruit, until tender – depending upon the quince, this could take 20 – 30 minutes, as quince grown in more northern climates than the hot Middle East tend to be harder than the varieties growing in Turkey, Iran, Israel or even Spain.
- Drain the fruit and mash with a fork or potato masher.
Method for Making the Pastegh:
- Combine the mashed fruit, sugar, water and cinnamon in a saucepan and simmer until the mixture has thickened.
- Take off the heat and allow to cool , until the mixture is still warm, but you can touch it without burning yourself.
- Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow pan – preferably a cookie sheet with sides.
- Cover with cheesecloth or muslin (anything that "breathes") and allow it to sit in a warm, dry place for about 2 days. (An over – especially a gas oven, with a pilot light works well).
- Cut into small pieces – about 1 inch by 1 inch.
- Spread the confectioner’s sugar into a plate and coat the quince squares with it.
- Place on a cheesecloth or muslin to thoroughly dry before packaging in an airtight tin.
The copyright of the article Fruit Pastegh Recipe in Middle Eastern Cuisine is owned by Debbie Kwiatoski. Permission to republish Fruit Pastegh Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
