Basturma, eh? Those birds, they don't have ears to hear silence, but they sure know the taste. We keep the quiet between the spices because sometimes the silence can make the meat taste like a cloud, and nobody wants a cloud on their tongue. Keep that silence—just enough to let the salt do its work.

Yes, the salt has to whisper, not shout. We let it breathe a bit, then the meat tells its own tale. The birds will still come, but they'll stay quiet and watch the show, because you can’t fight a good flavor, even if it’s silent.