Kale Pache Recipe

Kale Pache is one of the world’s strangest foods. People cook and eat it in many countries. In Iran and Turkey, they call it Kale Pache (کله پاچه); in Arabic countries, they call it Bajeh and Armenians call it Khasha. Another country that has a lot of Kale Pache Lovers residents in Norway. They call it Smollohuveh and have ancients traditions in serving and cooking this food. In this article, we are going to discuss this food’s history and types of cooking in Iran. Kaleh is a Farsi word for head, which here refers to the sheep’s head and Pacheh is the Persian term for sheep’s trotters. Kale Pache has plenty of fans in Iran.

According to the research done by Italian nad Iranian historians, the origin of this food refers to about 3500 years ago in Iran. They have found pottered dishes which include remained heads and trotter bones inside them. Since it is a very fatty dish, many Iranians prefer eating it for breakfast. In this way, they would have enough time to burn some of the fat in the rest of the day.

Different types of Kale Pache:

Indeed, there is only one type of Kaleh Pacheh. However, this food includes too many different parts of the sheep’s body, and you can choose to eat your favorite parts. It consists of some gravy that people make Tilit out of it (like Abgoosht). It also provides sheep’s head, trotters, eyes, the flesh of the cavity behind the ear, brain, tongue, and the flesh around the trotters. This combination is also possible to be cooked with caw’s body parts. A dish of Kaleh Pacheh in a Persian Tabbakhi(Kaleh Pacheh Store) contains a sheep’shead (usually the meat only), two trotters, two eyes, one tongue, and a brain with a bowl of gravy.

Important Nutrition Facts of Kale Pache:

Honestly, Kale Pache is the most fat and non-beneficial food of Persian cuisine. However, many people eat it because it is delicious. Moreover, due to the meat inside it, this food is an excellent source for iron and protein. Make a long story short, each 100 gr of Kaleh Pacheh has over 400 kcal, and it includes a high amount of fat and cholesterol. So, if you have high blood cholesterol or high blood pressure, you’d better do not mind eating this fat food. Moreover, this food is served and eaten by bread (commonly Sangak), and you should add the nutrition of Sangak, too.

Vegetarian tips:

I am sorry to confess that not only Kale Pache is not a vegetarian or a vegan dish; also, I wish no Vegetarian or Vegan person tries to read this article!

Serving style of Kale Pache:

Iranians serve Kale Pache as the main course for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Usually, they serve this food with Sangak. However, it is possible to serve it with other kinds of bread, such as Lavash. Like Abgoosht, you should mix the gravy with cut pieces of bread and make a Tilit first. Then you should eat the other parts with bread. Fresh onions and Sir Torshi (Garlic pickles) are the only side dishes served with Kaleh Pacheh. Fresh lemons or lemon juice are other side components that are somehow necessary to be served with this food because that would help to metabolize the fat. All drinks can be served with this food. However, soda drinks such as Cola, Soda Doogh (Persian yogurt drink), and other sodas are the best choice for the beverage.

What are the ingredients of Kale Pache?

The ingredients of Kale Pache are the sheep’s body’s different parts. According to your liking, some parts can be less or more in the food. It includes a sheep’s head. Trotters, eyes, face flesh, brain, and tongue. All of these parts are cooked with water, onions, and garlic. The only spice they add to this food is salt that, they add at the final point. However, it is better for the parts that take a shorter time to cook separately. For example, I recommend you cook the brains and eyes individually and add some turmeric and pepper to it, too.

How to cook Kale Pache?

The hardest part of cooking Kale Pache at home is that however or wherever you buy the components, you always have to spend a lot of time cleaning them. There is still some hair or skin left on them. To cook Kaleh Pache, first of all, separate the brains and eyes which cook in a shorter time. Then cook the head, trotters, tongue, and other parts with water. There is no need to add salt or any other spices. After about 2 hours that they are almost cooked add salt and garlic and cook them for some more time. To cook the brain and eyes, add some water, turmeric, and salt and cook them for about 1 hour on low heat. It would be best if you also prepared some Sangak to serve along with the Kale Pache.

Recipe:

This recipe is adequate for four people. The preparation time is about one hour, and the cooking time is 3-4 hours.