Recipe
For the Çalma Soup, wheat and chickpeas soaked overnight are boiled until tender. In a separate pot, strained yogurt and plain yogurt are combined with flour and egg and whisked thoroughly to ensure a homogeneous mixture. The pre-boiled chickpeas and wheat are then added. To prevent the yogurt from curdling, the soup is stirred continuously until it comes to a boil. In a pan, butter is melted and allowed to cool slightly before dried mint is added. If the mint is added while the butter is too hot, it loses its green color and darkens. Salt is added at the very end, as this also helps prevent the soup from curdling. The prepared mint-infused butter sauce is drizzled over the soup before serving. When prepared in summer, this soup can also be consumed cold. In this version, strained yogurt and plain yogurt are whisked thoroughly and seasoned with salt. Previously boiled and cooled chickpeas and cracked wheat are then added. Traditionally, farmers would take this soup with them to the fields during the summer months to cool down, consuming it with added ice.