Pink Pickled Turnips with Beet (Lift Makbous)
Pickled turnips with beet is one of the most famous pickles on the Levantine table in Syria and Lebanon, distinguished by its bright pink color that it gains from the beet slices during fermentation.
It is served alongside falafel, shawarma, and grills, and it combines the crunch of the turnips with the refreshing sourness of fermentation.
Wash the turnips well, peel them, and cut them into medium cubes, and slice the beet, as even cutting ensures uniform fermentation for all the cubes.
Arrange the turnip cubes in a sterilized glass jar with the beet slices and garlic cloves, and distribute the beet between the layers so its pink color spreads throughout the whole pickle.
Dissolve the coarse salt in the water, add the vinegar, and stir until it dissolves completely, as sufficient saltiness is what protects the pickle and steers the fermentation in its proper course.
Pour the brine over the vegetables until it fully covers them, keeping a little headspace at the top of the jar, and press the vegetables down so they stay below the surface because exposure to air causes mold.
Seal the jar and leave it in a warm place for about two weeks until the turnips ferment and take on the pink color and sour taste, and taste it after a week; once it is ready, move it to the refrigerator to stop the fermentation.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Pink Pickled Turnips with Beet (Lift Makbous), and how to fix them:
Make sure the vegetables are fully submerged and use a weight to keep them under the brine, as mold comes from contact with air, not from the fermentation itself.
Shorten the fermentation time a little and store it cold, as long fermentation in warmth softens the texture of the turnips.
Add more beet slices and distribute them between the layers, as the color comes from the contact of the beet with the turnips during soaking.
Reduce it by rinsing the cubes with cold water before serving, and in the next batch reduce the salt a little while keeping it sufficient for preservation.
Once ready, keep it in the refrigerator in its brine for up to a month, as the cold stops the fermentation and preserves its crunch.
Leave it in a warm place away from direct sun for about two weeks until it is ready, then move it to the refrigerator.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| white vinegar | apple cider vinegar | same volume (45 ml) | Apple cider vinegar gives a slightly milder flavor while keeping the preserving acidity. |
| turnips | cauliflower | same weight (600 g) | Cauliflower is a common alternative in Levantine pickles that takes on the same pink color from the beet. |
| coarse salt | fine non-iodized sea salt | same weight (45 g) | Non-iodized salt is better for fermentation because iodine can hinder the beneficial bacteria. |
| garlic | without garlic | omitted | The garlic can be omitted for those who do not prefer its flavor without affecting preservation. |
| Ingredient | Half | Base | Double |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnips | 300 g | 600 g | 1200 g |
| Beet | 60 g | 120 g | 240 g |
| Coarse salt | 22.5 g | 45 g | 90 g |
| White vinegar | 22.5 ml | 45 ml | 90 ml |
| Garlic | 5 g | 10 g | 20 g |
| Water | 450 ml | 900 ml | 1800 ml |
The secret to the pink color and a clean pickle is keeping the vegetables fully submerged under the brine, as any piece that floats and touches the air will spoil.
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