Mavi Boncuk |
![]()
The Mesir Macunu Festival celebrated during the week of Nevruz (March 21-24), which is recognized as the beginning of spring, includes various cultural and traditional practices. It has been organized in Manisa for approximately 400 years.
Mesir macunu is an edible paste believed to have health benefits, and is based on historical events. Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, came down with an unexplained disease while in Manisa.
Merkez Efendi, the chief physician of the Sultan Mosque Madrassa, made a paste from a mixture of 41 different herbs and spices as a remedy for this malady. This medicinal paste called "mesir macunu" helped Hafsa Sultan recover in a short period of time and it has been handed down to the present day. Hafsa Sultan was known for her charitable nature, and she asked that the mesir macunu that had healed her be distributed to the people every year during Nevruz. The paste is wrapped in small pieces of paper and thrown to the people from the Sultan Mosque. From that day until now, mesir macunu has been passed out to the people gathered around Sultan Mosque for the festivities at this time.
Mesir Macunu is a traditional Turkish sweet believed to have therapeutic effects. Mesir paste was first produced as a medicine during the Ottoman period, but later became an important part of local festivities in the city of Manisa. Earlier versions of Mesir macunu were not sweet, but rather spicy in flavor.
Macun is a sweet Turkish confectionery toffee paste that originated from spicy preparations of Mesir macunu.
Below is a list of spices and herbs used in making the Mesir Paste, along with their Turkish and Latin names:
Manisa Mesir Macunu
Allspice (Yeni bahar) (Pimenta dioica)
Alpina officinarum root (Havlican koku) (Alpina officinarium)
Anise (Anason) (Anisum vulgare)
Black cumin (Corek otu) (Nigella sativa)
Black Myrobalan (Kara halile) (Terminalia nigra)
Black pepper (Karabiber) (Piper nigrum)
Buckthorn (Topalak or Akdiken) (Nerprun alaterne)
Cardamon (Kakule) (Elettaria cardamomum)
Cassia (Hiyarsenbe) (Cassia)
Chebulic myrobalan (Kara halile) (Terminalia chebula)
China root (Cop-i cini) (Smilax china)
Cinnamon (Tarcin) (Cinnamomum verum)
Cloves (Karanfil) (Syzygium aromaticum)
Coconut (Hindistan cevizi) (Cocos nucifera)
Coriander (Kisnis) (Coriandum sativum)
Cubeb (Kebabe) (Cubebae fructus) [1]
Cumin (Kimyon) (Cuminum cyminum)
Dried orange blossom (Portakal cicegi)
Fennel (Rezene) (Foeniculum vulgare)
Galingale (Havlican) (Alpinia officinarum)
Ginger (Zencefil) (Zingibar officinalis)
Iksir sugar (Iksir sekeri)
India blossom (Hindistan cicegi)
Java Pepper (Kuyruklu biber) (Piper cubeba) [1]
Licorice extract (Meyan bali) (Glycyrrhiza uralensis fisch)
Licorice root (Meyan koku) (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Mastic (Cam sakizi) (Mastichum)
Millet (Hintdarisi) (Pennisetum glaucum)
Myrrh (Murrusafi) (Commiphora Molmol)
Muskroot (Sumbul) (Adoxa moschatellina)
Mustard seed (Hardal tohumu) (Brassica nigra)
Orange peel (Portakal kabugu)
Rhubarb (Ravend) (Rheum Palmatum)
Saffron (Safran) (Crocus Orientalis)
Citric acid (Limon tuzu)
Senna (Sinameki) (Cassia senna)
Turmeric (Zerdecal) (Curcuma domestica)
Udulkahr (Udulkahir)
Vanilla (Vanilya) (Vanilla planifolia)
Woad (Civit) (Isatis)
Yellow myrobalan (Sari halile) (Fructus myrobalani)
[1] Jawa peppercorn, Jawanese pepper, Tailed pepper; French: Poivre de Java, Cubèbe, Poivre à queue | Jawa peppercorn, Jawanese pepper, Tailed pepper; German: Kubebenpfeffer, Jawanischer Pfeffer, Schwanzpfeffer, Stielpfeffer
Cubebs are the fruits of Piper Cubeba, Linne filius (N.O. Piperaceoe), a dioecious woody climber indigenous to Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, and apparently cultivated also in those islands, although exact information concerning the cultivation is difficult to obtain. The fruits were used as a spice, and as a medicine in the Middle Ages.
Piper cubeba, cubeb or tailed pepper is a plant in genus Piper, cultivated for its fruit and essential oil. It is mostly grown in Java and Sumatra, hence sometimes called Java pepper. The fruits are gathered before they are ripe, and carefully dried. Commercial cubebs consist of the dried berries, similar in appearance to black pepper, but with stalks attached – the "tails" in "tailed pepper". The dried pericarp is wrinkled, and its color ranges from grayish brown to black. The seed is hard, white and oily. The odor of cubebs is described as agreeable and aromatic and the taste as pungent, acrid, slightly bitter and persistent. It has been described as tasting like allspice, or like a cross between allspice and black pepper.
![]()
Cubeb came to Europe via India through the trade with the Arabs. The name cubeb comes from Arabic kabāba (كبابة), which is of unknown origin, by way of Old French quibibes. Cubeb is mentioned in alchemical writings by its Arabic name. In his Theatrum Botanicum, John Parkinson tells that the king of Portugal prohibited the sale of cubeb to promote black pepper (Piper nigrum) around 1640. It experienced a brief resurgence in 19th-century Europe for medicinal uses, but has practically vanished from the European market since. It continues to be used as a flavoring agent for gins and cigarettes in the West, and as a seasoning for food in Indonesia.
In Europe, cubeb was one of the valuable spices during the Middle Ages. It was ground as a seasoning for meat or used in sauces.
A medieval recipe includes cubeb in making sauce sarcenes, which consists of almond milk and several spices. As an aromatic confectionery, cubeb was often candied and eaten whole. Ocet Kubebowy, a vinegar infused with cubeb, cumin and garlic, was used for meat marinades in Poland during the 14th century.
Cubeb can still be used to enhance the flavor of savory soups.
Cubeb reached Africa by way of the Arabs. In Moroccan cuisine, cubeb is used in savory dishes and in pastries like markouts, little diamonds of semolina with honey and dates. It also appears occasionally in the list of ingredients for the famed spice mixture Ras el hanout. In Indonesian cuisine, especially in Indonesian gulés (curries), cubeb is frequently used.
Cubebs have a stimulant and antiseptic action on the mucous membrane of the genito-urinary organs and are also diuretic. They are chiefly used in gonorrhoea and affections of the bladder, sometimes also in chronic bronchitis, the active constituents of the drug leaving the body by the kidneys and urinary passages, the skin and the respiratory organs.
The Mesir Macunu Festival celebrated during the week of Nevruz (March 21-24), which is recognized as the beginning of spring, includes various cultural and traditional practices. It has been organized in Manisa for approximately 400 years.
Mesir macunu is an edible paste believed to have health benefits, and is based on historical events. Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, came down with an unexplained disease while in Manisa.
Merkez Efendi, the chief physician of the Sultan Mosque Madrassa, made a paste from a mixture of 41 different herbs and spices as a remedy for this malady. This medicinal paste called "mesir macunu" helped Hafsa Sultan recover in a short period of time and it has been handed down to the present day. Hafsa Sultan was known for her charitable nature, and she asked that the mesir macunu that had healed her be distributed to the people every year during Nevruz. The paste is wrapped in small pieces of paper and thrown to the people from the Sultan Mosque. From that day until now, mesir macunu has been passed out to the people gathered around Sultan Mosque for the festivities at this time.
Mesir Macunu is a traditional Turkish sweet believed to have therapeutic effects. Mesir paste was first produced as a medicine during the Ottoman period, but later became an important part of local festivities in the city of Manisa. Earlier versions of Mesir macunu were not sweet, but rather spicy in flavor.
Macun is a sweet Turkish confectionery toffee paste that originated from spicy preparations of Mesir macunu.
Below is a list of spices and herbs used in making the Mesir Paste, along with their Turkish and Latin names:
Manisa Mesir Macunu
Allspice (Yeni bahar) (Pimenta dioica)
Alpina officinarum root (Havlican koku) (Alpina officinarium)
Anise (Anason) (Anisum vulgare)
Black cumin (Corek otu) (Nigella sativa)
Black Myrobalan (Kara halile) (Terminalia nigra)
Black pepper (Karabiber) (Piper nigrum)
Buckthorn (Topalak or Akdiken) (Nerprun alaterne)
Cardamon (Kakule) (Elettaria cardamomum)
Cassia (Hiyarsenbe) (Cassia)
Chebulic myrobalan (Kara halile) (Terminalia chebula)
China root (Cop-i cini) (Smilax china)
Cinnamon (Tarcin) (Cinnamomum verum)
Cloves (Karanfil) (Syzygium aromaticum)
Coconut (Hindistan cevizi) (Cocos nucifera)
Coriander (Kisnis) (Coriandum sativum)
Cubeb (Kebabe) (Cubebae fructus) [1]
Cumin (Kimyon) (Cuminum cyminum)
Dried orange blossom (Portakal cicegi)
Fennel (Rezene) (Foeniculum vulgare)
Galingale (Havlican) (Alpinia officinarum)
Ginger (Zencefil) (Zingibar officinalis)
Iksir sugar (Iksir sekeri)
India blossom (Hindistan cicegi)
Java Pepper (Kuyruklu biber) (Piper cubeba) [1]
Licorice extract (Meyan bali) (Glycyrrhiza uralensis fisch)
Licorice root (Meyan koku) (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Mastic (Cam sakizi) (Mastichum)
Millet (Hintdarisi) (Pennisetum glaucum)
Myrrh (Murrusafi) (Commiphora Molmol)
Muskroot (Sumbul) (Adoxa moschatellina)
Mustard seed (Hardal tohumu) (Brassica nigra)
Orange peel (Portakal kabugu)
Rhubarb (Ravend) (Rheum Palmatum)
Saffron (Safran) (Crocus Orientalis)
Citric acid (Limon tuzu)
Senna (Sinameki) (Cassia senna)
Turmeric (Zerdecal) (Curcuma domestica)
Udulkahr (Udulkahir)
Vanilla (Vanilya) (Vanilla planifolia)
Woad (Civit) (Isatis)
Yellow myrobalan (Sari halile) (Fructus myrobalani)
[1] Jawa peppercorn, Jawanese pepper, Tailed pepper; French: Poivre de Java, Cubèbe, Poivre à queue | Jawa peppercorn, Jawanese pepper, Tailed pepper; German: Kubebenpfeffer, Jawanischer Pfeffer, Schwanzpfeffer, Stielpfeffer
Cubebs are the fruits of Piper Cubeba, Linne filius (N.O. Piperaceoe), a dioecious woody climber indigenous to Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, and apparently cultivated also in those islands, although exact information concerning the cultivation is difficult to obtain. The fruits were used as a spice, and as a medicine in the Middle Ages.
Piper cubeba, cubeb or tailed pepper is a plant in genus Piper, cultivated for its fruit and essential oil. It is mostly grown in Java and Sumatra, hence sometimes called Java pepper. The fruits are gathered before they are ripe, and carefully dried. Commercial cubebs consist of the dried berries, similar in appearance to black pepper, but with stalks attached – the "tails" in "tailed pepper". The dried pericarp is wrinkled, and its color ranges from grayish brown to black. The seed is hard, white and oily. The odor of cubebs is described as agreeable and aromatic and the taste as pungent, acrid, slightly bitter and persistent. It has been described as tasting like allspice, or like a cross between allspice and black pepper.
Cubeb came to Europe via India through the trade with the Arabs. The name cubeb comes from Arabic kabāba (كبابة), which is of unknown origin, by way of Old French quibibes. Cubeb is mentioned in alchemical writings by its Arabic name. In his Theatrum Botanicum, John Parkinson tells that the king of Portugal prohibited the sale of cubeb to promote black pepper (Piper nigrum) around 1640. It experienced a brief resurgence in 19th-century Europe for medicinal uses, but has practically vanished from the European market since. It continues to be used as a flavoring agent for gins and cigarettes in the West, and as a seasoning for food in Indonesia.In Europe, cubeb was one of the valuable spices during the Middle Ages. It was ground as a seasoning for meat or used in sauces.
A medieval recipe includes cubeb in making sauce sarcenes, which consists of almond milk and several spices. As an aromatic confectionery, cubeb was often candied and eaten whole. Ocet Kubebowy, a vinegar infused with cubeb, cumin and garlic, was used for meat marinades in Poland during the 14th century.
Cubeb can still be used to enhance the flavor of savory soups.
Cubeb reached Africa by way of the Arabs. In Moroccan cuisine, cubeb is used in savory dishes and in pastries like markouts, little diamonds of semolina with honey and dates. It also appears occasionally in the list of ingredients for the famed spice mixture Ras el hanout. In Indonesian cuisine, especially in Indonesian gulés (curries), cubeb is frequently used.
Cubebs have a stimulant and antiseptic action on the mucous membrane of the genito-urinary organs and are also diuretic. They are chiefly used in gonorrhoea and affections of the bladder, sometimes also in chronic bronchitis, the active constituents of the drug leaving the body by the kidneys and urinary passages, the skin and the respiratory organs.