In an interview with a Turmush correspondent, she shared that for the past 15 years, she has been following the tradition and preparing this national dish.
“To prepare sümölök, you first need to clean the wheat, soak it in water, and let it sprout. Then the sprouted wheat is crushed and the juice is squeezed out. Flour, oil, and water are added to the cauldron, and the mixture is boiled while constantly stirring. To enhance the flavor, stones are placed in the cauldron, and to prevent the sümölök from burning, it must be stirred continuously,” Gulzhan explained.
According to the woman, sümölök symbolizes prosperity, unity, and abundance, and its preparation for Nowruz is one of the ancient traditions.
“We cook sümölök for 7 hours, and after that, we let it steep for another 7 hours. During this time, relatives gather, and we discuss good wishes together by the cauldron. While the dish is cooking, we wish each other harmony and well-being,” she added.
This year, when the sümölök was ready, Gulzhan noticed interesting patterns on the surface of the cauldron that resembled embroidery, with signs in the center that looked like eyes. She perceived this as a good sign.
“This indicates that our people are expecting goodness and abundance. Recently, we have often been observing the traditions of other nations and starting to imitate them. I felt that this is a call to return to our own traditions and values,” she noted.
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