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Turšija: Balkan Fermented Whole Vegetables, and How to Brine Them

By Updated 2 min read

Turšija is the Balkan world’s answer to a fermentation question that European traditions solve differently: instead of shredding cabbage for sauerkraut or slicing cucumbers for pickles, Balkan home cooks ferment vegetables whole — complete bell peppers stuffed with cabbage, whole small watermelons, full cucumber lengths. The result is unlike any other fermented vegetable tradition, and autumn turšija-making is one of the year’s most important family rituals from Serbia to North Macedonia to Bosnia.

At a glance

Turšija is the Balkan tradition of pickling whole or large-cut vegetables – peppers, cucumbers, green tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots and cabbage – for winter. The fermented kind is made in salt brine; for whole vegetables, use the NCHFP fermented pickle brine (½ cup pickling salt and ¼ cup 5% vinegar per 8 cups water) and ferment at 21–24°C for 3–4 weeks, then keep it cold.

  • Balkan winter pickle of whole or large-cut vegetables; made by fermentation or with vinegar.
  • Brine (NCHFP, per gallon jar): ½ cup pickling salt, ¼ cup 5% vinegar, 8 cups water.
  • Ferment 3–4 weeks at 21–24°C, then store cold.
  • Prick whole peppers; use mature-green, not tiny, tomatoes.
  • Not shelf-stable at room temperature; discard if slimy, rotten or mouldy.

Ferment profile

Origin
The Balkans (Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and neighbours)
Fermentation
Lactic acid
Main microbes
Wild lactic acid bacteria from the vegetables
Live cultures
Yes
Alcohol
None / trace

Turšija (turshi, туршија) is the Balkan name – from Turkish turşu, “pickle” – for jars and crocks of pickled vegetables put up in autumn for the winter: whole or large pieces of peppers, cucumbers, green tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots and cabbage, often with garlic, dill, celery and hot chillies. Recipes vary from house to house, and the word covers both vinegar pickles and true ferments; this page is about the fermented kind, soured by lactic acid bacteria in salt brine. Its relatives include Iranian torshi and the Central European sauerkraut tradition.

Brine for Whole Vegetables

Whole and large-cut vegetables ferment more slowly than shredded ones, and the best-tested home guidance for them is the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s fermented dill pickle recipe for whole cucumbers: ½ cup of canning or pickling salt and ¼ cup of 5% vinegar in 8 cups of water for each gallon of container, fermented at 70–75°F (21–24°C) for 3–4 weeks (NCHFP). The same brine and timing suit a mixed jar of whole vegetables. Prick whole peppers and chillies a few times so the brine gets inside, and weigh everything down well under the brine.

Which Vegetables

  • Peppers (bell, Romano, hot chillies): whole, pricked, or halved.
  • Cucumbers: small and very fresh, blossom ends trimmed.
  • Green tomatoes: full-size, mature-green ones, which contain far less tomatine than tiny immature fruit (Choi et al., 2010); see our fermented green tomatoes.
  • Cauliflower, carrots, celery, cabbage: florets, sticks or quarters. Whole cabbage heads soured for sarma are their own tradition: see kiseli kupus.

Safety and Storage

These vegetables are low-acid on their own; it’s the lactic acid made during fermentation that brings the jar below pH 4.6, the line food-safety rules use for acid foods (21 CFR 114). So keep it at room temperature until clearly sour, then move it somewhere cold – a fridge, or a cellar that stays cold all winter. Turšija made this way isn’t shelf-stable at room temperature, and it isn’t a canning recipe. A flat white film is usually kahm yeast and can be removed; soft, slimy vegetables, a rotten smell or fuzzy coloured mould mean the batch should be thrown out (NCHFP). For the same method with cucumbers alone, see our fermented dill pickles.

Recipe: Fermented Turšija (Mixed Whole Vegetables)

Makes
One 4-litre (1-gallon) jar or crock
Hands-on
45 min
Fermentation
3–4 weeks at 21–24°C
Salt
Per gallon container: ½ cup canning or pickling salt in 8 cups water (NCHFP)
Temperature
21–24°C (70–75°F) while fermenting; cold storage afterwards
Difficulty
Moderate

Equipment

  • 4-litre (1-gallon) jar or crock
  • Plate and weight that fit inside
  • Cloth or loose lid

Ingredients

  • About 2–2.5 kg mixed vegetables (small cucumbers, peppers, mature-green tomatoes, cauliflower florets, carrot sticks)
  • 1 head garlic, cloves peeled
  • A bunch dill (or celery leaves)
  • 2–3 hot chillies (optional)
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 8 cups (about 1.9 litres) water (unchlorinated, or boiled and cooled)
  • ½ cup canning or pickling salt (non-iodized)
  • ¼ cup vinegar (5% acidity) (as in the NCHFP recipe)

Method

  1. Dissolve the salt in the water and add the vinegar.
  2. Wash the vegetables. Trim cucumber blossom ends, prick whole peppers and chillies, and cut cauliflower and carrots into large pieces.
  3. Put half the garlic, dill and spices in the jar, pack in the vegetables, and add the rest on top.
  4. Pour over the brine to cover, then weigh everything down with a plate and weight so nothing floats.
  5. Cover loosely and keep at 21–24°C for 3–4 weeks, checking a few times a week and removing any white film.
  6. When the vegetables taste clearly sour all the way through, move the jar somewhere cold.
  7. Discard the batch if the vegetables turn soft and slimy, it smells rotten, or fuzzy coloured mould appears.

Frequently asked questions

What is turšija?

The Balkan name for pickled vegetables put up for winter – peppers, cucumbers, green tomatoes, cauliflower and more – made by fermentation or with vinegar.

Is turšija fermented or pickled in vinegar?

Both are called turšija. This page covers the fermented kind, soured by lactic acid bacteria in salt brine.

How much salt for turšija?

For whole vegetables, the NCHFP fermented pickle brine: ½ cup pickling salt and ¼ cup 5% vinegar in 8 cups of water per gallon container.

How long does turšija take?

About 3–4 weeks at 21–24°C, until sour all the way through.

How do I store turšija?

Somewhere cold – a fridge or a cold cellar – once it's sour. It isn't shelf-stable at room temperature.

What's the difference between turšija and torshi?

They share a name and an idea: torshi is the related Iranian and Middle Eastern tradition of pickled vegetables.

Sources

  1. National Center for Home Food Preservation. Dill pickles (fermented). Link
  2. National Center for Home Food Preservation. Causes and possible solutions for problems with fermented pickles. Link
  3. eCFR. 21 CFR Part 114 – Acidified foods. Link
  4. Choi SH et al. (2010). Changes in free amino acid, phenolic, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and glycoalkaloid contents in tomatoes during 11 stages of growth and inhibition of cervical and lung human cancer cells by green tomato extracts. J Agric Food Chem 58(13):7547–7556. Link
#Eastern Europe and the Balkans
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