Bulgur
Ancient cracked wheat staple of Middle Eastern cuisine.
Bulgur, also called borghol, is a cracked wheat product common in Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking, among other regions. It is a cereal made from the groats of various wheat species. To produce it, raw wheat is parboiled, then de-hulled, dried, and cracked. The United States Department of Agriculture classifies bulgur as a whole grain, and it has a light, nutty taste.
When cooked, bulgur consists of about 78% water, 19% carbohydrates, 3% protein, and almost no fat. A 100-gram serving provides 84 kilocalories (350 kilojoules) of energy. Analysis of uncooked samples shows roughly 9% protein, 11% moisture, 1% ash, 70% starch (including 2–2.8% beneficial resistant starch), and 7% fiber, mostly the insoluble type.
The term *bulgur* comes from the Turkish pronunciation of the Arabic *burghul*, which itself was borrowed from the Persian *barghul*.
Bulgur originated in the ancient Middle East, with food historian Gil Marks dating it to around 4000 BC, making it one of the earliest processed foods. In medieval times, it was used to make *kishk*, a dried yogurt and milk preserve; recipes for this appear as early as the 10th century in the Arabic cookbook *Kitab al-Tabikh* by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq. Bulgur remained largely unknown in North America until the 20th century, when it was introduced by Armenian, Syrian, and Jewish immigrants.
Bulgur does not require cooking—soaking in water is sufficient—but it can also be used in cooked dishes. Coarse bulgur is used for pottages, while medium and fine grains appear in breakfast cereals, pilafs, breads, salads like *kısır*, and dessert puddings such as *kheer*. Bulgur porridge resembles frumenty, a medieval staple. In breads, it adds a whole-grain element. It is a key ingredient in *kibbeh* and *tabbouleh* salad, and can replace rice or couscous, or accompany other dishes like pasta or rice. Armenians prepare bulgur as a pilaf in chicken stock, sometimes with sautéed noodles, or cooked with tomatoes, onions, herbs, and red pepper. Finely ground bulgur is used for *eetch*, a salad similar to tabbouleh. In Greece, it is called *pligouri*; in Cyprus, *pourkouri*, where it is used for *koupes* (also known as *içli köfte*), a deep-fried kibbeh with a crust of fine bulgur, flour, oil, salt, and egg, filled with ground meat, onions, parsley, and spices. In Saudi Arabia, particularly in Nejd and Al-Hasa, bulgur is known as *
- origin
- Ancient Middle East
- first_processed
- circa 4000 BC
- type
- Cereal food
- main_ingredient
- Groats of several wheat species
- known_for
- Common ingredient in West Asian and Mediterranean cuisines
Lore & Background
Bulgur originated in the ancient Middle East; food historian Gil Marks dates it to circa 4000 BC. It is one of the first processed foods ever created. In medieval times, it was used to create kishk, a yogurt preserve made by drying a yogurt and milk mixture, with recipes found as early as the 10th century in the Arabic cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq. Bulgur was largely unknown in North America until the 20th century when it was brought in by Armenian, Syrian, and Jewish immigrants.
Reader's Guide
Bulgur is a versatile whole grain that does not require cooking; soaking in water is all that is needed. Coarse bulgur is used for pottages, while medium and fine grains serve as breakfast cereals, in pilavs, breads, salads such as kısır, and dessert puddings like kheer. It is a main ingredient in kibbeh and tabbouleh salad, and can be used where rice or couscous might be used. In southeastern Turkey, consumption of bulgur was found to be 2 to 2.5 times that of pasta and rice, with average annual consumption of 25 kilograms; in the Levant, Arabia, Iran, and Iraq, it reached 30-35 kilograms annually. Its historical significance as one of the first processed foods and its continued widespread use highlight its enduring role in regional diets.
Did You Know?
- Bulgur is produced by parboiling raw wheat, then de-hulling, drying, and cracking it.
- Food historian Gil Marks dates bulgur to circa 4000 BC, making it one of the first processed foods.
- In medieval times, bulgur was used to create kishk, a yogurt preserve, with recipes from the 10th century.
- A 2007 study found that in southeastern Turkey, bulgur consumption was 2 to 2.5 times that of pasta and rice.
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