Afelia is a Cypriot dish with pork which is marinated with red wine and coriander seeds. My tweak to the traditional recipe is that I added more spices to it and added some mushrooms as well which made it quite unique and I served it with pilafi pourgouri, a bulgur pilaf.
Bulgur known as πλιγούρι, pligoúri, in Greek or πουργούρι, pourgouri in Cyprus and as burghul (برغل) in Arabic) is a cereal food made from several different wheat species, but most often from durum wheat.
Bulgur holds a place in recipes similar to rice or cous cous but with a higher nutritional value. Best known as an ingredient in tabouli salad, bulgur is also a tasty, low-fat ingredient (not to mention cheap and healthy), in pilaf soup, bakery goods, stuffing or casseroles. It is an ideal food in a vegetarian diet because of its nutritional value and versatility. It is excellent as a meat extender or meat substitute in vegetarian dishes, and is a component of many varieties of meatless burgers found on supermarket shelves everywhere.
Making wheat into bulgur is an ancient process that originated in the Mediterranean and has been an integral part of Middle Eastern cuisine for thousands of years. Biblical references indicate it was prepared by ancient Babylonians, Hittites and Hebrew populations some 4, 000 years ago, and Arab, Israeli, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations record eating dried cooked wheat as early as 1, 000 B.C.
Often confused with cracked wheat, bulgur differs in that it has been pre-cooked by par-boiling. This process makes bulgur easy to cook but also has removed certain nutrients from the less digestible outer layers into the centre of the grain, making them more easy to cook with.
When I first came to Greece and mentioned bulgur, I usually got some scornful looks from friends and relatives, maybe because it was some of the food they ate during the German occupation and ended being considered as food for the poor. However, after reluctantly trying it they were convinced that it was worth cooking with.
In Cyprus we used to eat bulgur pilaf regularly and I have already written about the traditional way my mother used to cook it. She would always make it when she had leftover meat, lamb, pork or chicken but a meatless pilaf is equally delicious served with Greek yoghurt.
Bulgur wheat can be coarsely ground, which is the type we use in the pilaf or finely ground, which is the one we use to make koupes, with meat or vegetarian, which are savory mezedes.
I am submitting this recipe to Ruth, of Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments, who is hosting this month’s Monthly Mingles, Sensational Sides, created by Meeta.
The recipe is included in my cookbook.
Tags: Cypriot, Food events, Pork, rice and pilafs, Traditional
Mmmmm Ivy, I think I would love bulgur!!! Never seen it around here though. A perfect side for me
. Plus that pork meat and the mushrooms make me salivate… Autumn is here 
hey you are rocking with yummy vermicelli recipes!
pic looks inviting!
Add you as a follower of my blog so that my recipes will be right away in ur dashboard itself!
join in the chicken event going in my blog!
an award waiting for u in my blog ivy!
I do like the look of the fides speckled in the pligouri and mushrooms complement meat so well…bravo!
These are two great-looking recipes. It’s interesting that you initially got such a reaction from people regarding bulgur. My father-in-law, who lived through the German occupation, loves the stuff and is so happy when it shows up on the table!
I love it that your food has so much meaning & history to it Ivy…makes a handsome mouthful!! Couscous is only available as an impoer here & thus priced quite high. Some time ago I confused it with broken wheat too…I love the dish on the side…it’s sensational!!!
The picture is amazing..Looks very very attractive!!
I’ve often only associated bulgur with Middle Eastern cooking. Great to see it used like this Ivy. Again, this is a wonderful, informative and well researched post.
My friend, this is really a sensational side! And I see you got your message working. Good for you
This looks (and sounds) delicious! I don’t know if I’ve ever had bulgur yet…I really need to look for it. I’ve been meaning to try cooking with it and vermicelli actually, so this is just the thing for me to try
This sounds and looks really good. I wish I could try it (without having to make it myself)
You come up with such new recipes that I have never heard of.. and it is perfect every time! Nice…
This dish looks delicious,Ivy. I love all the ingredients, specially bulgur wheat .Is curious to watch the roots of the words. In Spanish noodles are called fideos.
Fantastic looking meal, I wish I was eating this right now! The bulger pilaf is interesting, I have never heard of it before. It looks simple enough and is something I would enjoy. Have a good day.
That pilaf looks fantastic Ivy and it looks so beautiful all piled up like that! Wonderful presentation!
I love bulgar. Although here i see it as more vegan. I love the idea of pairing it with meats and mushrooms.
A nice, simple and delicious pilafi, Ivy!
Bulgur is so satisfying and I love it as a side (or even as a main). I especially love putting in some fried garlic with it – it just boosts it to a whole other level.
Yum, i love the presentation! We have a product here called rice-a-roni that combine vermacelli with rice and I love it (besides the high sodium content which prevents me from eating it much)
This looks like a more wholesome alternative!
Thanks for answering a question I’ve had for a long time. Whenever I see recipes here for greek food that call for bulgar wheat, I always wonder if they’ve substituted bulgar wheat for trahana because we don’t have trahana readily available. But you’ve taught me that bulgar wheat is often used in greek food.
This looks really interesting. i would never have thought of combining bulgur and vermicelli together. Lovely entry – thank you so much!
I found the recipy for the Bulgar/Vermicelli interesting, except no mention was made of the number bulgar to use. If anyone has had experience with bulgar they would know it comes in a FINE, MEDIUM and COARSE.
Would like to know which to use.
Thank’s
Hi John. I didn’t know that it comes in fine, medium and coarse. Here it comes only in two types: fine and coarse. As you will see above the picture of the bulgur I explain that we use fine bulgar for making koupes and the other type, coarse, for the pilaf.
This looks delicious!!!! A great entry to the mingle, thank you!
How did you get it up so high like that when it looks so light and fluffy?
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