Bulgur Salad
Fine bulgur coated with tomato and pepper pastes, lemon, pomegranate molasses and fresh herbs.
The Turkish pantry
Pepper paste (red)
A thick red pepper concentrate for sauces, fillings and meze. Check whether it is sweet or hot, how much salt it contains and whether tomato is mixed in.
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Biber salçası is pepper paste, distinct from tomato paste, mixed tomato-pepper paste, pepper flakes and pepper powder. This guide covers the red pepper paste form without assigning a particular heat level or regional origin.
Types & forms
Sweet / tatlı
A mild pepper paste; check the label and recipe rather than inferring heat from its red color.
Hot / acı
Made for a hotter flavor. The strength differs between products, so it is not automatically interchangeable with sweet paste.
Mixed paste / karışık · comparison
Contains tomato as well as pepper. Read the ingredients; it is a different product from pepper paste alone.
What to look for when buying
- Read the pepper, heat and salt information. Check whether the product contains tomato or other additions; the word salça alone is not enough.
- Choose intact, sealed packaging and follow its storage directions. Do not buy swollen or leaking containers.
Prepare & cook
- Measure with a clean, dry spoon. Add it where the recipe calls for paste, dispersing it evenly through the liquid or mixture.
- Account for the paste’s salt before adding more seasoning. Do not replace it with the same spoonful of powder, flakes or hot sauce.
Store it well
- Follow the unopened-product instructions. After opening, refrigerate as directed on the label, keep covered and use a clean utensil each time.
- Keep the opening date and use within the manufacturer’s stated time. A layer of oil is not a substitute for refrigeration or a validated home-preserving method.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Another red pepper paste
Match sweet or hot and compare salt and concentration. Adjust only as the recipe allows.
Tomato paste or mixed paste
These change the flavor and ingredient balance. Use a recipe designed for the swap rather than treating them as identical.
Nutrition
No verified nutrition data is available for this ingredient.
At the Turkish table
The linked recipes show how this collection uses biber salçası. The guide does not assign every pepper paste to Gaziantep, Hatay or another place, or claim protected-origin status.
Cook with Pepper paste (red)
Spicy Tomato Meze
Finely chopped tomatoes, peppers, onion and parsley with a spicy, tangy dressing.
Aksaray Tava
Small pieces of lamb baked with tomatoes, green peppers and whole garlic in a rich tomato and pepper sauce, served with warm lavaş.
Baked Lamb and Eggplant Tray Kebab
Finely chopped vegetables mixed with ground lamb and baked in a thin layer over sliced eggplant.
Bread with Beef and Garlic Yogurt
Warm pide topped with garlic-mint yogurt, ground beef in tomato sauce and red-pepper butter.
Chicken Soup with Tiny Meatballs
A tomato-based soup with chicken, chickpeas, rice and tiny meatballs, flavored with dried mint.
Denizli Stuffed Dried Eggplant
Dried eggplant shells filled with beef, rice and currants, gently cooked in a tomato-and-pepper sauce. Currant-filled dried eggplant is associated with Denizli. This home version uses onion, herbs and mixed tomato and pepper pastes; local variations exist.
Green Lentil and Bulgur Soup
A Uşak soup of dry green lentils and coarse bulgur with onion, red pepper paste and dried mint.
Red Lentil and Bulgur Porridge
A soft Gaziantep porridge of red lentils and coarse bulgur with tomato and pepper pastes, finished with hot onion and red-pepper oil.
Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup
A warming red lentil soup with bulgur, rice, tomato, dried mint and pul biber.
Thin Flatbread with Spiced Meat
Thin oval flatbreads carry an onion-free topping of lamb, garlic, tomato, peppers and parsley. The finely chopped filling is spread to the edges and baked on a hot surface until the base is cooked and the edges crisp.
Thin Flatbread with Spiced Meat
Very thin flatbreads spread with minced lamb, tomato, peppers, onion and herbs.