Grocery Essentials

Öncü Tomato Paste

Turkish twice-concentrated tomato paste, compact tube-jar.

Öncü tomato paste is the household name in Turkey alongside Tamek. Ripe plum tomatoes cooked down to a dense, sweet, brick-red concentrate. The base of most Turkish, Arab and Persian home-cooked dishes. One tablespoon opens a whole pot of soup or a rice base. Fry it in oil first, then add liquid. Standard uses: red lentil soup, chicken stew, tomato bulgur pilaf, kısır. 370g is the smaller everyday size for a household that also keeps a big jar of the pepper version.