Pomegranate molasses (nar ekşisi) — pomegranate juice reduced to a thick, intensely sour-sweet syrup — is the defining ingredient of Gaziantep cooking and southeastern Anatolian cuisine. Its role is structural: providing a sour-sweet dimension with a depth and complexity that tamarind has in Southeast Asian cooking or sumac has in Levantine cooking. It is not interchangeable with either — the citric acid, malic acid, and anthocyanin profile of pomegranate produces a specific flavour architecture.
- **Production:** Pomegranate juice reduced by approximately 80% over low heat until it coats a spoon heavily. [VERIFY] Dağdeviren's production instructions. - **Applications:** In köfte, in salad dressings, in muhammara (TK-21), in braised preparations, as a marinade component. - **The balance with walnut:** Pomegranate molasses + walnut is the most important flavour pairing in Gaziantep cooking — the pomegranate's tannin-acid-sweet complexity is moderated by the walnut's fat while the walnut's slightly bitter tannins are moderated by the pomegranate's sweetness.
The Turkish Cookbook