Name: Ezogelin Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: red lentil: 250 g; bulgur: 50 g; rice Baldo or Arborio: 50 g; onion peeled roughly chopped: 1 pcs; tomatoes peeled deseeded and chopped: 1 pcs; Tomato puree: 1 tablespoon; paprika: 1 tablespoon; garlic cloves finely chopped: 4 pcs; Butter: 20 g; Olive oil: 2 tablespoons; mint dried: 1 tablespoon; Salt: 1 tablespoon; Black pepper: a pinch; chilli peppers flakes: a pinch; lemon: 1 pcs

Ingredients

250 g red lentil

50 g bulgur

50 g rice Baldo or Arborio

1 pcs onion peeled roughly chopped

1 pcs tomatoes peeled deseeded and chopped

1 tablespoon Tomato puree

1 tablespoon paprika

4 pcs garlic cloves finely chopped

20 g Butter

2 tablespoons Olive oil

1 tablespoon mint dried

1 tablespoon Salt

a pinch Black pepper

a pinch chilli peppers flakes

1 pcs lemon

Directions

Ezogelin Soup or Ezogelin çorbası is one of the most popular soups in traditional Turkish cuisine. It is a delicious and hearty soup, made of red lentil, bulgur, rice with vegetables and herbs.

What is even more interesting is the story of the unfortunate young girl Zöhre and the way the soup was made and named. This story inspired artists and there are songs about Ezo, but also the movie and tv series Ezo Gelin.

Ezogelin Soup Origin

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Zöhre, or nicknamed Ezo, was a beautiful girl around whom many suitors hanged around. She lived in a village near the city of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey in the early 20th century. Because of her beauty, she was praised by many people, but her parents chosen a husband for her. At first, they lived happily, but because of the gossiping of envy people, her husband became cruel and violent. That came to the point where she was allowed divorce for harassment, which is unheard of at the time.

At the time, the divorced woman was not a desirable member of society, so her father decided to remarry her. Following the customs, she had to win the mother-in-law’s affection by showing her culinary skills. So, she made a soup from what she had, which was later called Ezogelin çorbası. Literally, this would mean the soup of Ezo the bride.

However, there was no love in that marriage. In the meantime, because of the war, the place where she lived became part of Syria. She was prevented from visiting Turkey and lived crushed for the rest of her life. The story goes that she died of tuberculosis in 1956. According to her wish, she was buried on a hill near the border, from where she can be near bellowed Turkey.

This is one of those dishes that originate from the southeast region but is popular throughout Turkey today.

Like almost all soups, Ezogeline soup is eaten as a warm appetizer before the main course.

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I first tried this soup when I was in Izmir. I asked a local guide to find me a recipe for Ezogelin soup, and today I make this fantastic soup according to the recipe.

Steps

1 Done	In a large bowl, heat olive oil and butter. Add onion and sauté for a few minutes until it is translucent. Add tomato paste, chopped tomato, garlic and paprika and sauté for 5-6 minutes.
2 Done	Now add red lentils, rice and bulgur that you rinsed well before. Pour with water and cook for about 30-40 minutes, until you get slightly thick soup.
3 Done	Finally, add the dried mint and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the mint releases its aroma.
4 Done	Serve warm, sprinkled with mint and red pepper flakes. Traditionally, with Ezo Gelin is served a wedge of lemon and a slice of bread.