Acuka, muhammara, or something else?

Acuka (also spelled acuka or acıka) is a cousin of Syrian muhammara — a thick, spreadable paste built from walnuts, red pepper, and good olive oil. In Turkey it shows up on kahvaltı tables, next to flatbread, alongside cheeses and jams. It is bold, it is oily, it is the reason you keep eating bread.

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts, toasted lightly
• 3 tbsp Tukaş red pepper paste (biber salçası)
• 1 tbsp Tukaş tomato paste
• 2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs or ground rusk
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo-style)
• ½ tsp cumin, pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses (nar ekşisi) — optional but excellent

Method

1. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until coarse. Add everything else except the olive oil. Blend to a thick paste.
2. Drizzle the olive oil while the motor runs, until the spread is glossy and holds its shape.
3. Taste. Adjust: more pul biber for heat, more molasses for brightness, more salt if flat.
4. Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes — the flavors tighten.

Three ways to use it beyond breakfast