Basturma, baby! Make your own Armenian charcuterie.
If this is the first time you've ever heard of basturma, boy, you are in for a treat. (Kat Craddock/)This story was originally featured on Saveur.Basturma is to Armenia what bresaola is to Italy and cecina is to Spain—a ruddy hunk of air-dried beef with more umami punch per mouthful than the fanciest dry-aged steak—except it’s far more exciting. Unlike its simply-salted European brethren, basturma is garlicky and piquant and spiced with industrial quantities of paprika and fenugreek. It’s the type of cheese board item that draws instant oohs and aahs thanks to its crimson core and out-in-left-field flavor profile.As far as charcuterie goes, basturma is shockingly easy to make, as we learned in this month’s installment of Saveur Cookbook Club featuring Lavash, by Kate Leahy, Ara Zada, and John Lee. You don’t need a meat grinder, sausage casings, or any other gourmet gewgaws to make basturma; the hardest part...