Ā-ḠŪR (or ĀB-E ḠŪRA), the juice of ḡūr, i.e. unripe grapes. (The term is applied secondarily to other unripe fruit. For examples of the term ḡūr in literature, see Dehḵodā, fasc. no. 74, pp. 361-62.) Such juice, sour and highly acidic, is used in Persian cuisine both for its own sake and as a substitute for lemon juice.
In commercial processing the unripe grapes, after being picked, are placed in large mills and mashed to a pulp. The juice thus squeezed is separated from the seeds and skins, collected in large vats, and put up in sterilized bottles. As an alternative to the purchase of āb-ḡūr in the marketplace, many Persian housewives prefer to prepare and bottle their own at home. Great care is taken to ensure that the bottles are filled to the very brim, leaving no air space at the top where mold might form.
Āb-ḡūr is used in various Persian dishes. For example, it is an ingredient in āš-e sāq, a soup prepared with spinach, leeks, yellow split peas, and seasonings; and it is used to simmer dolma-ye kadū, stuffed summer squash. Āb-ḡūr flavors several types of ḵo&Dz; (stewed meat dishes served with rice—e.g., ḵo&Dz;-e esfenaǰ o ālū (stewed lamb with spinach and prunes), ḵo&Dz;-e havīǰ (stewed lamb with carrots), and ḵo&Dz;-e čaḡāla-bādām (stewed lamb with fresh, unripe almonds). Unripe grapes are used whole in some dishes, such as ḵo&Dz;-e ḡūr (lamb stew with sour grapes). Āb-ḡūr was frequently used until not too long ago also as a souring agent for a number of pickles, dried pickles, and spices (čs; see Sofra-ye Aṭʿama, pp. 70-71). As a spice, ḡūr powder (gard-e ḡūr was sometimes reinforced by āb-ḡūr and then dried (ibid., p. 72).
Bibliography:
See description of the dishes in which āb-ḡūr is used in Sofra-ye Aṭʿama, index, and in N. Ramazani, Persian Cooking, New York, 1974, pp. 23, 49-50, 141-42, 152-53, 146.
(N. Ramazani)
Originally Published: December 15, 1982
Last Updated: December 15, 1982
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 1 pp. 46-47
N. Ramazani, “Ā-ḠŪR,” Encyclopaedia Iranica, I/1, pp. 46-47, available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ab-gura.
