Books & Cooks Letter U: Urfa Biber Pepper

This year I’m going to be combining two of my passions – cooking and kid lit for Books & Cooks! I’ll be bringing you great recipes based on spices of the alphabet that pair perfectly with kid lit books! Next up? The letter U and the richly colored Urfa Biber Pepper!

Spice: Urfa Biber Pepper

So it’s definitely not easy to find a spice for the letter “U”! Every year, there’s a letter or two that you just have to stretch to find something that works well with your theme. “U” was a doozy! I finally found this Turkish hot pepper called the Urfa Biber Pepper. It’s a gorgeous color – dark maroon, purple, and has a little bit of a smoky flavor. (That’s based on research, I’ve never tasted this pepper before!)

Book Review: The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey by Demi

Finding a book set in Turkey was also a difficult feat this week! But, author/illustrator Demi came through. As she is quite prolific with over 300 books for children including this beautiful tale from Turkey. A longer picture book brings with it a message about wealth and friendship. This story is filled with gorgeous illustrations in Demi’s typical style with lots of white space so that you can really see the detail of each image. This story pairs perfectly with our Turkish hot pepper and recipe today!

Recipe: Turkish Urfa Biber Eggs & Peppers

This recipe looks like something I might try, although I’m kind of specific about how my eggs are cooked. Beyond the urfa biber pepper, all the rest of the ingredients can be found easily and looks like a great vegetarian option for a quick weeknight dinner!

During the month of April, I’ll be participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2020. For my theme this year (Books & Cooks), I’ll be combing children’s books with cooking spices and including a recipe to bring the book into your very own kitchen! I love to cook and read, so I thought this would be a fun way to combine two of my passions. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! Let’s dig in! And if you want to see what I’ve done in the past, check out the past few years – 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019!