Bulgar or Burghul

Click on this picture to really magnify it so you can see the texture of real bulgar or burghul!

This is called bulgur, bulgar, bulger, bulghur or burghal. You may have had tabooli or taboulleh of which bulgur is a main ingredient.
If you go to The Pita Stop Restaurant in Apple Valley, ask for a take out container of "burghul"..it costs a little over a dollar. It is very tasty and satisfying. I asked them if they cook it in broth. No, just water, they said. They have it seasoned nicely with some salt and a red powder they called "sumac" (hmmm?)I cook mine in broth, then add a dash of olive oil to it when it is done cooking.

Burghul is made from whole wheat kernels that are partially hulled. They are then soaked, steamed, dried and finally crushed. This crushed product is burghul. True cracked wheat has no soaking or steaming process - it's simply crushed wheat berries. It will take longer to cook than burghul, so if you use it, you need to factor in a longer cooking time.

Bulgar is sold at WinCo in the bins. Cook it like rice...twice the amount of water than grain. Bring to boil, then turn heat down and put lid on. You can season it any way you like. I often stir fry it later with onions, bell pepper, etc.