Teste de Turke facts for kids

Teste de Turke (pronounced "TESS-teh deh TUR-keh") was a really interesting and unique dish from the Middle Ages! Its name means "Turk's head," and it was designed to look a bit like a human head. Imagine a fancy meal from hundreds of years ago, where the food wasn't just tasty but also a work of art!

What Was Teste de Turke?

Teste de Turke was a special kind of food that people made a long, long time ago, during the Middle Ages. It was famous for being shaped to look like a human head. This might sound a bit strange today, but back then, it was a creative way to make food exciting and impressive for big feasts and special dinners.

Where Did This Dish Come From?

This unique dish actually started in the Arab area. During the Middle Ages, there was a lot of sharing of ideas and culture between different parts of the world. After the Norman conquest of Sicily, which was an island that had been influenced by Arab culture, this dish traveled to places like England and France. You can find recipes for dishes similar to Teste de Turke in old books from that time, especially in Anglo-Norman manuscripts (these were handwritten books from England and France, written in a mix of old French and English). It was a bit like another famous medieval dish called Poume d'oranges.

How Was Teste de Turke Made?

People had different ways to make Teste de Turke, depending on what ingredients they had or if it was a special time of year.

The Meat Version (Not for Fasting)

When people were not in a fasting period (a time when some foods, like meat, were avoided for religious reasons), Teste de Turke was often made with meat.

• First, they would take pork and chicken meat and chop it up very, very finely, almost like ground meat.
• Then, they would mix this meat with colorful saffron (a spice that makes food yellow), eggs, bread crumbs, almonds, and other spices to make it taste good.
• This mixture was then put inside a saumagen (which is a cleaned pig's stomach) and boiled.
• After it was cooked, the pig's stomach was removed. The meat mixture was then coated with egg yolk to give it a nice color and baked until the egg and bread crumbs on the outside became firm.
• The way it was shaped and cooked might have made it look like a human head.

The Pastry Version (With Nuts and Fruit)

Another way to make Teste de Turke is described in an old Anglo-Norman manuscript. This version used a pastry shell:

• They would fill a dough pastry with rabbit meat and other poultry (like chicken or duck).
• But it wasn't just meat! They also mixed in sweet dates, cheese, and honey. This made it a mix of savory and sweet flavors.
• To make it look like a head, they would sprinkle dark nuts on top of the pastry, which might have looked like hair.
• They also put green pistachios on the sides to add to the head-like appearance.

Both of these interesting versions of Teste de Turke are thought to have come from an even older Moorish-Spanish dish called Rās maimūn.