Salça

Salça is a category of thick, deep red paste made from peppers or tomato and salt, originating from Turkey.

Biber salçası (literally “pepper paste”; also called kırmızı biber salçası, literally “red pepper paste”) is made from red chili peppers or sweet long peppers and salt. The peppers’ stems and seeds are removed, and then the pepper is crushed and salt added. The crushed peppers are sun-dried for six to seven days (depending on the strength of the sun) until the mixture develops intense sun-dried flavor and a pasty consistency. It is a part of the cuisine of Anatolia and is enjoyed by different ethnic groups in the region. It is used mainly for flavoring main dishes, as well as to fill pide and börek. Another common use is as a spread, typically on bread or crackers.

There are two main varieties of biber salçası:

Acı biber salçası (literally “hot pepper paste”), made from red hot chili peppers
Tatlı biber salçası (literally “sweet pepper paste”), made from sweet red peppers