No,I am not complaining about food. I love food. And I love it different and –sometimes even –adventurous. Which is where Sour Grapes come in.
We have been walking around the neighborhood and have discovered Middle Eastern shop with some unusual but recognizable foods and some not-quite-recognizable ones. Our strategy with the later is usually to buy it and then google for its name/recipe. Usually it works quite well.
Not so,with the “Sour Grape Ground”,which looks like brown sand-like stuff with some white flecks. And it is impossible to find on the internet.
The problem of course is that “sour grape”means complaining,and there is a lot of that on the internet.
So,in the end,we just had to go from the general description. We had it in a stew and it was nice,though not outstanding. This probably has more to do with us not knowing the proportions,than with with the sour grapes themselves.
The middle east is full of these kinds of strange powders. I wish I could identify this one,but I’m at a loss too. Good luck!
I know this may sound like a silly question but have you tried asking the shop’s owner what they use this powder to make? Also you may be able to contact a middle eastern restaurant and ask them. Just some ideas that may or may not be obvious. Keep us updated on what you find out,you’ve piqued my curiosity!
P.S. I tried to look this up too and found the word goureh with the words (sour grapes) behind it,possibly a lead? They use it interchangeably with lemon juice on a variety of dishes. Hang in there and kuddos on trying new things,what a great idea.
Hi Jess,
Glad it got your interest going. I think it is used mostly in Iranian dishes,in soups or some such. So,your theory of using it to replace lemon juice may make sense. I might try it in a dish instead of lemon next time.
And the shop’s owner did not speak English. So,that’s a lead to nowhere.
Oh,and if you ever figure out this mystery,I am now in the possession of ‘Pepper Soup’mix from an African shop. The ingredients of that mix make for an even stranger story.