Macun

Mesir Macunu ( Turkish = Macun, paste ') is a Turkish paste consisting of a mixture of 41 different spices and medicinal plants. It has become tradition to distribute the paste in early spring each year to the population.

Historical Background

The invention of the paste goes back to the first half of the 16th century.

Hafsa, the wife of Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim and the mother of Suleyman the Magnificent, became ill during a stay in the western Turkish city of Manisa. The Sultan granted a renowned medical Merkez Efendi the job, a cure for the illness of his wife to finden.Dieser mixed a paste of honey and set them off to the Sultan 's wife, whereupon she was healthy again. Subsequently, it was decided that every patient should receive the paste. To ensure the distribution of viscous herbs honey was wrapped in paper and thrown out of the mosque dome, so that the people could catch him in small packages. Since it is tradition to distribute the Mesir paste the beginning of spring to the population. In this festival various activities such as dances and parades take place. To commemorate the healing of the Sultan woman Mesir Macunu is distributed among the population today.

Preparation

Mesir Macunu is a blend of 41 herbs, spices, seeds, roots and resins. Then the mixture is stirred with honey, so that a dark sticky paste. It has a sweet, tangy and spicy flavor.

Ingredients

Mesir Macunu presently consists of the following materials:

Ginger, Zitwerwurzel, cream of tartar ( cream of Tartar ), Kismis, Kebabiye, galangal, coconut, anise, allspice, Hiyerşambe, rosin, Zağfran, Üdül Kahr, China root, ( by the China sarsaparilla ), mustard, Eksir, clove, indigo, licorice extract Theriak, yellow myrobalan, fennel, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, black cumin oil, Darıfülfül, rhubarb, citric acid, cardamom, Samli, vanilla, sugar, thickened grape must, hindistan çiçeği, lemon peel, Galanda Tekemercini tohumu and orange peel

Use

Mesir Macunu to keep the body fit, strengthen the gums, increase the ability to concentrate and calm down. In addition, the paste should help against respiratory problems, rheumatism, head, back and lumbar pain. The paste purify the blood, facilitates the discharge of urine and actively in the appetite.