Basturma (basterma) is a highly seasoned and dried sausage that's popular in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. In Iraq, this pastrami predecessor is usually served for breakfast with eggs. I'll show you how to make it the traditional way and the quick, easy way.
I don't have many memories of my childhood. However, the memories I do have usually revolve around food. Big surprise, right?
I have wonderful memories of eating masgouf and my aunt Alice's delicious custard. I also have memories of my dad bringing home basturma. This was always exciting because it wasn't something we had often.
The fact that mom didn't make her own basturma made it even more special when I mastered this recipe. I only wish she could be here to try it and give it her stamp of approval!
Traditionally, basturma is made with veal but you can also use ground beef or lamb. There are various ways to make basturma in the Middle East. It's popular in many countries, including Iraq, Greece, Armenia, Turkey, Egypt, etc.
In some countries, basterma is prepared with a roast, such as an eye of round roast. The roast is brined, then covered in a thin paste made with spices called "chairnen" or "chaman." This delicacy is cured and served sliced against the grain.
The recipe I'm sharing today is for Iraqi-style basturma which is made with ground meat, lots of garlic, and a mixture of spices. Although it's also hung to dry, this type of basturma is served fried, usually with eggs.
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🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- This homemade basturma recipe can be prepared in two ways, stuffed in casings and age dried or shaped into a log, then partially frozen and sliced into patties.
- The recipe can be scaled up to make more basterma if you'd like or use the exact measurements to keep it more manageable.
- You can prepare and bottle the spice mixture ahead of time to have on hand for the next time you get a craving for some basterma.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Meat: Choose from beef, lamb, or veal.
- Garlic: Freshly ground garlic gives the basturma a wonderful flavor. Use a minimum of 4 garlic cloves and go up from there!
- Spice Mixture: The spices are an integral part of the authentic basturma flavor. You'll need Arab 7-spice (sometimes referred to as Bharat). Seven spice consists of allspice, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and ginger. Besides 7-spice, I also add paprika, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sea salt or kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
- Casings: If you plan on hanging the basturma to air dry, you will need some casings. Choose from sheep casings, hog casings, or collagen casings.
🥩 How to Make Basturma
Step 1: Place ground meat into a medium bowl. Add garlic puree and sprinkle with the seasoning. Use your hands to work the spices into the meat.
Step 2: Fry a small portion of the meat and adjust the spices if necessary.
Pro Tip: If you have a meat grinder, run the meat through the grinder to further infuse the spices and garlic into the meat. You can also use a small food processor.
Stuff Basturma Into Casings
Step 3: Use a sausage attachment on your KitchenAid mixer to feed the seasoned meat through the casings. I used hog casings but you can use sheep casings or collagen casings instead. At this point, you can freeze the sausage or air dry it, which is the more authentic way to make basturma.
Pro Tip: If you're not sure how to stuff the sausage into the casings, here's a video on how to stuff sausage casings.
Air-Dry In A Cool Dry Place
Step 4: Once the basturma sausage is stuffed in the casings, use a sterilized needle or a toothpick to poke holes all over the casing. This allows any trapped air to escape. Use a piece of butcher's twine, if necessary, to tie a knot at one end of the basturma to make it easier to hang. Hang in a cool place with good airflow until dried. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks.
Pro Tip: The warmer the environment, the less time it will take to dry.
Step 5: Once the basturma is dry and not squishy when squeezed, it's ready! At this point, you can store it in the fridge or freeze it.
Quick Method
If you don't want to deal with stuffing the meat in casings, you don't have to! Just shape the seasoned ground meat into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap or foil.
Next, partially freeze the basturma before slicing it into patties. Place the patties on a tray and freeze them completely before storing them in a ziplock bag.
Pro Tip: Freezing the basturma partially makes it much easier to slice into patties.
🍳 Serving Suggestions
The best way to enjoy Iraqi basturma is fried with eggs. Make sure to serve pita bread, lavash bread, or samoon to sop up the runny egg yolk!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
A choice-cut beef fillet is covered with a thick layer of salt and cured for a few days. During this time, a heavy object is placed on the meat to aid in pressing the moisture out of the meat. This is done in order to remove as much moisture from the meat as possible.
The excess salt is then rinsed off, and the meat is patted dry. A paste, with the consistency of thick pancake batter, is prepared using a mixture of spices including fenugreek. The spice coating is slathered on the meat, forming a thick crust.
Lastly, the meat is pierced with a hook and hung up to air dry in a clean room with plenty of air circulation. The entire process can take anywhere from two weeks to a month to complete. The pastirma is then sliced against the grain and served similarly to salami or prosciutto as an appetizer. 
The spices used in basturma are similar to shawarma spices so if you've ever had shawarma, you already have an idea of what basturma tastes like.
Basturma is highly seasoned with spices like cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Additionally, it has a garlicky flavor and can be slightly spicy.
Pastrami was originally called "Pastrama" (Romanian), or "Basturma" in Arabic. Both words refer to meat that has been cured in spices.
It is believed that the name was changed to "pastrami," imitating another popular meat at the time, "salami."
Yes, basturma is raw meat that has been brined and cured, usually by air drying. Some basturma is sliced thinly and served as a cold cut while another type is air-dried then sliced into patties and fried for breakfast with eggs.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- After trying both methods, I think I prefer the easy way. It's quicker and safer (you don't have to worry about the basterma going bad). Also, it has a better texture. It's tender whereas the texture of dried basturma is firmer.
- Natural hot casings work great for making Iraqi sausage or any other sausage for that matter!
- Keep the basturma frozen and defrost a few patties at a time to enjoy.
- Frozen basturma will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer when packaged appropriately.
- Serve basturma with fried eggs in a pita pocket sandwich, sooo good!
🥚 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Basturma (Basterma) Iraqi Sausage
Ingredients
- 1½ lb ground lamb or ground beef
- 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Middle Eastern 7 Spice
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Place ground meat into a medium bowl. Add garlic puree and sprinkle with the seasoning. Use your hands to work the spices into the meat.
- Fry a small portion of the meat and adjust the spices if necessary.
Stuff Casings
- Use a sausage attachment on your KitchenAid mixer to feed the seasoned meat through the casings. I used hog casings but you can use sheep casings or collagen casings instead. At this point, you can freeze the sausage or air dry it, which is the more authentic way to make basturma.
Air Dry
- Once the basturma sausage is stuffed in the casings, use a sterilized needle or a toothpick to poke holes all over the casing. This allows any trapped air to escape. Use a piece of butcher's twine, if necessary, to tie a knot at one end of the basturma to make it easier to hang. Hang in a cool place with good airflow until dried. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks.
- Once the basturma is dry and not squishy when squeezed, it's ready! At this point, you can store it in the fridge or freeze it.
Quick Method
- If you don't want to deal with stuffing the meat in casings, you don't have to! Just shape the seasoned ground meat into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Next, partially freeze the basturma before slicing it into patties. Place the patties on a tray and freeze them completely before storing them in a ziplock bag.
Serving Suggestions
- The best way to enjoy Iraqi basturma is fried with eggs. Make sure to serve pita bread, lavash bread, or samoon to sop up the runny egg yolk!
Notes
- After trying both methods, I think I prefer the easy way. It's quicker and safer (you don't have to worry about the basterma going bad). Also, it has a better texture. It's tender whereas the texture of dried basturma is firmer.
- If you have a meat grinder, run the meat through the grinder to further infuse the spices and garlic into the meat. You can also use a small food processor.
- If you're not sure how to stuff the sausage into the casings, here's a video on how to stuff sausage casings.
- The warmer the environment, the less time it will take to dry.
- Freezing the basturma partially makes it much easier to slice into patties.
- Natural hot casings work great for making Iraqi sausage or any other sausage for that matter!
- Keep the basturma frozen and defrost a few patties at a time to enjoy.
- Frozen basturma will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer when packaged appropriately.
- Serve basturma with fried eggs in a pita pocket sandwich, sooo good!
Dana says
Hi! Thnk you for this recipe it looks easy! I have just discovered your blog and sooo looking forward to making several dishes! For years I have been graving my childhood's iraqi basturma. Just before I start making it, I am wondering about the amount of fat in the meat. It should be quite fatty, shouldn't it?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Dana,
Thanks for the comment and your question. Yes, the meat should be fatty. I believe I used beef with 20% fat and ground some lamb with it, which is usually fatty as well. Good luck and let me know what you think!
chrysoulla says
Dear Hilda, the pastourma spices and recipe for pastourma sausage was more than excellent. I ordered your book and it is also very good to have. I am confused now; I cannot find the recipe for the actual spice mixture you put in the pastourma as I did not print or copy it the first time I made it. Can you tell me which one it is? Thanks!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi,
Thank you for your comment and book purchase too! 🙂 I'm really glad you like it, here is the post with the spices listed on the bottom of the page in the recipe card: https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/breakfast-sausage-basturma-recipe/
chrysoulla says
Good day, Hilda! I made your Basturma Blend, then the beef roll. I am so impressed! I was born on the island of Cyprus but live in Ohio, USA where I cannot get the pastourma sausage that is available in Cyprus. I cannot believe how awesome your recipe is. We loved it! Thanks, ever so much!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Chrysoulla, Thank you so much for your sweet comment! Every now and then you have a recipe that flies under the radar that no one seems to notice. I feel like my Basturma recipe is one of those recipes. I'm so glad to hear someone is enjoying it! 😉 Thanks again for the review!❤️
Ruth says
Would Middle Eastern 7 Spice be similar to Chaldean Baharat, and how are these compared to Indian Baharat?
HildaSterner says
Hi Ruth,
Yes, Middle Eastern 7 spice should be the same as Chaldean/Assyrian Baharat. This "baharat" mix usually includes paprika, cumin, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This should be the same mix that is used in Indian cooking. However, Indians also use curry, and garam masala in a lot of their dishes. Hope that answers your question!