Featured recipe

Urbech

Flaxseed and walnut paste

High in the villages of Dagestan, urbech was ground between millstones from roasted seeds and kernels until the oil ran, then packed into jars to see families through winter. Brown flax gives the classic dark, slightly bitter paste; walnuts soften it and make it creamy. Locals warm it gently with honey and melted butter and spread it on bread or eat it by the spoon with tea; for a fully plant-based breakfast swap in a fruit syrup and keep the butter out. Some urbech uses apricot kernels, but bitter kernels contain natural cyanide compounds, so this home version sticks to flax and walnuts. Where most people go wrong is giving up after five minutes: the seeds look like dry sand for a long time before suddenly collapsing into paste. Chef's tip: let the food processor rest every few minutes so the motor and the paste stay cool; overheated flax turns bitter.

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