15-minute Turkish Eggs Recipe (Cilbir) (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of cilbir? ›

Çılbır is a Turkish dish of poached eggs with yogurt (often with garlic mixed in).

Divide the warm creamy yogurt between two shallow bowls, top each with a poached egg, pour the peppery butter around and slightly over the yogurt, scatter the chopped dill on top, and eat dreamily, dipping in some thick well-toasted bread as you do so.

According to popular lore, this egg dish goes back to the Ottoman Empire, when one of the main breakfast dishes served to sultans was poached eggs. Now, although poached eggs were likely enjoyed in Turkey for centuries, there is conflicting information about under which sultan the dish originated.

Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool which will help the egg white wrap around the yolk. Then carefully slide the egg into the water making sure the heat is low enough not to throw the egg around - there should only be small bubbles rising. Cook for 3-4 mins, until the white is cooked through.

For Turks, kahvalti (breakfast) happens every single day of the week, and it's just as much a ritual on Wednesday as it is on Sunday.

Good for hair and skin – Turkish eggs are a great superfood for both the skin and hair. The nutrients present in these eggs — such as protein, Vitamin B complex and fats — help strengthen and nourish the hair.

It all comes down to cost 💰 Turkeys are much more expensive to feed and take a lot longer to lay an egg. Once they do start laying they only produce around 100 eggs per year.

Accordingly, a classic Turkish breakfast is generally comprised of black and green olives, cucumbers, cured meats, dips and sauces, eggs, fresh cheeses, fresh tomatoes, fresh-baked bread, fruit preserves and jams, honey, pastries, and sweet butter.

Turkey eggs are about 50 percent larger than chicken eggs, weighing 90 grams on average compared to 50 grams for a chicken egg. Their shells can be white, cream-coloured, brown, or speckled, and the thinner end is noticeably pointier than in chicken eggs.

A really soft poached egg should take around 2 minutes and a soft-to-firm one will need 4 minutes (it depends on the size of the egg and whether you're using it straight from the fridge). To check if it's done, carefully remove your egg from the pan with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle prod with a teaspoon.

Why do you need vinegar to poach an egg? ›

"Vinegar is an inherently acidic material, so if we add a few drops of vinegar into that boiling water that is going to increase the rate of denaturing and it's going to make that happen faster and help the poached egg hold its shape better."

The word for Turkish breakfast, kahvalti (kah-vahl-tuh), originates from two words that mean 'before coffee' or 'under coffee'. This is because traditionally, Turkish coffee is usually consumed after breakfast or in the afternoon.

[ tur-kish ] show ipa. adjective. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or derived from Turkey or the Turks. of or relating to the language of Turkey.

Before we delve into the history of the poached egg recipe, let us take a look at the term poached. It originates from the French word poché, which means small pouch or pocket. Poaching is an ancient cooking technique that was used to prepare different delicacies like dumplings and nut custard.

/ˌbeɪkən ən ˈeɡz/ [uncountable] ​a dish consisting of fried or grilled slices of bacon and one or more fried eggs, eaten especially as part of a traditional English breakfast.