Isot is the name of a type of pepper grown unique to Sanliurfa. It is also the local name for the dried pepper identified with Sanliurfa province. It is also the general name for pepper in Kurdish.The word, of Turkish origin, is formed by combining the words "isot" (hot) and "ot." It is also used generally to mean "red, dried, hot pepper."Preparation: Anatolian ArtIn the summer, Urfa peppers are left to dry on a clean surface in sunny, flat areas, removing their seeds. Because the dried peppers are red, they are moistened with hot water daily until they darken and placed in large, transparent bags to dry. The dried peppers are then pounded, olive oil and a little salt are added, and turned into isot. Modern technology has made isot production somewhat easier. While the old method involved pounding and grinding isot with a pestle, today isot grinding machines make isot easier and more efficient. The most important feature of Sanliurfa isot is that it is not burning hot.Because it is natural, it initially has a sweet taste, but the bitterness fades after a while. Throughout Sanliurfa, everyone produces it for winter on balconies or rooftops.Isot is the process of blackening red hot chili peppers (dried peppers) under heat. The reason it's more expensive than chili pepper is that, according to the preparation procedure, 10 kg of Urfa pepper yields 1 kg of isot, along with the use of olive oil. Isot can also be described as a type of fermented chili pepper. It's made as follows: The dried red chili pepper's core and wings, called the wings, are dried and darkened by exposure to moisture and sunlight. The most ideal and healthy color is purple. It comes in black, purple, and red varieties. The color varies depending on the length of time it's left in the sun. Peppers dried in less direct sunlight turn red, peppers dried for 1-2 days turn purple, and peppers dried for 3-4 days turn black. Dried pepper, a work of Anatolian art
