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Tuh'u

Tuh'u (Akkadian for possibly "beetroot") is an ancient Mesopotamian spring festival dish, a lamb stew of sorts, extracted by historians at Yale Babylonian Collection from tablets from Babylonia, ca. 1740 BC.

Served with crusty bread and butter.

⏱ 2 hr 🍽 Serves 2 🔢 8 steps

Ingredients for 2

300 g lamb leg meat, diced
2 ⅔ tbsp sesame oil, olive oil, or rendered fat
233 ml prepared water
233 ml sour-tasting beer (e.g. Weißbier)
⅔ large onion, chopped
1 ⅓ cups arugula, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 ⅓ tsp cumin seeds, crushed or powdered
1 ⅓ large beetroots, chopped
⅔ leek, minced or diced
2–6 cloves garlic, minced or diced
⅔ Persian shallot (Akkadian: samidu; uncertain translation)
⅔ Egyptian leek (Akkadian: suhutinnu; uncertain translation)
Coriander seeds for garnish

Side: Crusty bread and butter

½ baguette
1 tbsp butter

From your pantry

Salt, to taste

Tuh'u

2 hr

1
Add oil/fat to a large pot (preferably iron) and set over high heat. Sear lamb for several minutes in the oil/fat until lightly browned.
Add onions and cook for 5 minutes
2
Add beetroots and let cook for 5 minutes.
Add salt, water, beer, arugula, cilantro, shallot, and cumin. Bring to a boil.
3
Mix garlic with leek and Egyptian leek, and add the mixture to the pot.
Lower heat to medium and let simmer for 60 minutes, or until the beetroot and meat are cooked to your liking.
4
About 8 minutes before serving, warm the baguette in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, then slice it and set out the butter.
Once the tuh'u has finished cooking, serve in a bowl. Sprinkle with coriander seeds. Garnish with chopped cilantro and chopped Egyptian leek.