Turkish delight – An Old Favourite in Food and Drink - YellAli Turkish delight – An Old Favourite Turkish delight – An Old Favourite 19th January 2015 Rahat Lokum more commonly known as 'Turkish Delight' is one of the oldest sweets in the world dating back 500 years. Although Arabic records from the 9th century also speak of sweets and medicines made from starch and sugar, these were referred to as rahat-ul hulküm – translated means “soothing to the throat”. This was later simplified to Lokum. The person directly accredited for inspiring the creation of this delicate confectionary was Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid ii. In an attempt to woo his mistresses and placate his harem, the Sultan ordered his confectioners to produce unique desserts that would please the women in his palace. Much to his “delight” his prayers were answered with the arrival of confectioner Hadji Bekir, better known as Hacı Bekir. Bekir’s recipe was simple, water, lemon and sugar heated and added to another pan containing flour, water and tartar which then simmered for an hour.

He then sprinkled on rosewater, left to cool then dusted with powdered sugar and cut into bite size pieces. In 1777 Bekir set up his own confectionary shop Hacı Bekir where he continued to produce the finest “locums’. So popular were his varieties of locums’ they were placed in lace handkerchiefs’ and given as gifts amongst the fashionable ladies of the time. They were also tokens of affection between courting couples. In 1811 Hacı Bekir was able to further perfect his recipe. With the discovery of starch by German scientist Kirchhoff. Bekir used this new substance to replace the flour thus creating a completely unique lokum which has remained largely unchanged from what we see today. When word of his notoriety reached the Ottoman Palace Sultan, Mahmund II rewarded Hacı Bekir by appointing him Chief Confectioner to the Ottoman Court and bestowing upon him the “Nisan-I Ali Osmani” a medal of honour of the first degree. It was thanks to an English traveller in the 19th century that these sweets were given their name which has stuck ever since.

As he handed them out amongst his friends and family back in England he described them as “Turkish delights”. A painting of Hacı Bekir by Italian artist Preziosi hangs in the Louvre, and many contemporary works mention Haci Bekir locums’ compounding its’ significance in Turkish culture. Enjoy this Blog? want to read more.... Sign up to YellAli's weekly newsletter and receive the latest information in Turkey - Tips, procedures, advice, promotions and much more! History History News History The history of Turkish Delight dates back 500 years, making it one of the oldest sweets in the world. A part of Turkish culture for centuries, the recipe has remained virtually unchanged from its inception. Legend has it that in his endeavor to cope with all his mistresses, a Turkish Ottoman Sultan summoned all his confectionery experts and ordered them to produce a unique dessert to add to the collection of secret recipes for which he was famous. As a result of extensive research Lokum, better known as Turkish Delight throughout the world, was born.

In 1776, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid I, Bekir Effendi, a fully apprenticed confectioner, arrived in Istanbul from a small town in Anatolia. Bekir set up in a little shop in the center of the city. Hadji Bekir was the Willy Wonka of his day and among a people with such a sweet tooth as the Turks, he quickly won fame and fortune. Fashionable ladies began giving Turkish delight to their friends in special lace handkerchiefs. These were also used as acts of courting between couples, as documentated in traditional Turkish love songs of that era. Thus gifted with energy, enterprise and originality, he was appointed Chief Confectioner to the Ottoman Court. The celebrated Hadji Bekir was also painted by the Italian artist Preziosi, which now hangs in the Louvre. It depicts the venerable bearded and turbaned confectioner weighing for a wealthy veiled lady, with two children and a cat looking on. Lokum was unveiled to the west in the 19th century.

During his travels to Istanbul, an unknown British traveler became very fond of the Turkish delicacies, purchased cases of lokum and he shipped them to Britain under the name Turkish Delight. The long name for the sweet is rahat lokum. The etymology of the word lokum has puzzled linguists for many years; it seems to be a corruption of a Turanian word meaning morsel. Rahat is a Turkish word, meaning peace or contentment, therefore the correct translation is a morsel of contentment. So, the English traveler who dubbed it delight was not far off. Turkish cuisine is eternal and diverse. Owing to the long history of occupation by the Ottoman Empire, the Turks have passed their cuisine to neighbouring countries, such as Greece, Iraq and the many nations of the Balkans. Picasso used to eat Turkish Delight on daily basis for concentration on his work, while Winston Churchill and Napoleon's favourite Turkish Delight were the ones with pistachio filling. Turkish Delight is also mentioned in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis This website is owned and operated by The Turkish Deli Ltd, Company Registration Number - 07666858.

Vat Reg No - 115969487 | info@turkishdelightonline.com Turkish Delight recipe | The Taste of Aussie The Taste of Aussie Bringing the best recipes to you Search for: The Cook Leave a comment Turkish Delight Turkish delight or lokum is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, and hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are mostly gel, generally flavoured with rosewater, mastic, Bergamot orange , or lemon. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar, to prevent clinging. Other common flavours include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive. History According to the Haci Bekir company, the sweet as it is known today was invented by Bekir Effendi, named Haci Bekir after performing the hajj. He moved to Istanbul from his hometown Kastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapi in 1777.

The company still operates under the founder’s name. Ottoman confectionary was originally sweetened with honey and molasses, using water and flour as the binding agents, with rosewater, lemon peel and bitter orange as the most common flavours (red, yellow and green). Haci Bekir introduced the use of glucose in 1811, shortly after it had been discovered by Gottlieb Kirchhoff. Lokum was introduced to Western Europe in the 19th century. An unknown Briton reputedly became very fond of the delicacy during his travels to Istanbul and purchased cases of it, to be shipped back to Britain under the name Turkish delight. It became a major delicacy in Britain and throughout Continental Europe for high class society. During this time, it became a practice among upper class socialites to exchange pieces of Turkish delight wrapped in silk handkerchiefs as presents.

Name The Turkish names lokma and lokum are derived from the Arabic word luqma(t) and its plural luqum meaning “morsel” and “mouthful” and the alternative Ottoman Turkish name, rahat-ul hulküm,was an Arabic formulation, ra?at al-hulqum, meaning “comfort of the throat”, which remains the name in formal Arabic.In Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia it is known as ?alqum, while in Egypt it is called malban or ?agameyya and in Syria ra?a. Its name in various Eastern European languages comes from Ottoman Turkish lokum or rahat-ul hulküm. Its name in Greek, ??????µ? (loukoumi) shares a similar etymology with the modern Turkish. In parts of Cyprus, where the dessert has protected geographical indication (PGI), it is also marketed as Cyprus Delight. In Armenian it is called lokhum (??????). Its name in Bosnian is rahat lokum, and derives from a very old confusion of the two Ottoman Turkish names found already in Ottoman Turkish; indeed this mixed name can also be found in Turkey today, though rarely.

Its name in Serbo-Croat is ratluk, a reduced form of the same name. In Iran’s official language, Persian, it is called rahatol holqum. In English, it was formerly alternatively known as Lumps of Delight. International Variations Greece In Greece, Turkish delight, known as loukoumi (??????µ?) has been a very popular delicacy since the 19th century, famously produced in the city of Patras, Patrina loukoumia, as well as on the island of Syros and the northern Greek cities Serres and Komotini but elsewhere as well. Loukoumi is a common traditional treat, routinely served instead of biscuits along with Greek coffee. In addition to the common rosewater and bergamot varieties, Mastic-flavoured loukoumi is available and very popular. Romania The Romanian word to describe this confection is rahat, an abbreviation of the Arabic rahat ul-holkum. However, in the Romanian language, the word rahat took a pejorative sense, in this case a euphemism that translates as shit.

According to linguist Lazar Saineanu, Turkish words which entered the Romanian language in the seventeenth century and eighteenth century became mostly obsolete and acquired a pejorative or ironic sense. Politically and socially, this weakened the influence of Ottoman society, and parts of the Ottoman Turkish language which had not had time to take root in the Romanian language took a touch of irony and became a mine for humorous literature. Rahat is eaten as is or is added in many Romanian cakes called cornulete, cozonac or salam de biscuiti. Traditionally in Romania and the Balkans, the rahat is generally served with coffee. North America Turkish delight also forms the basic foundation of the Big Turk chocolate bar (distributed by Nestlé in Canada). In 1930 two Armenian immigrants, Armen Tertsagian and Mark Balaban, founded Liberty Orchards of Cashmere, Washington, and began manufacturing “Aplets” (apple and walnut locoum) and “Cotlets” (apricot and walnut locoum).

In 1984 they added the medley-flavoured “Fruit Delights” line in strawberry, raspberry, orange, blueberry, peach, cranberry, and pineapple assortments. Although all of these confections are marketed under American-style brand names, they are referred to on product packaging as “Rahat Locoum.” Since 2012, the company has also marketed a line of confections with special packaging under the name “Turkish Delights,” which includes traditional Middle Eastern flavours such as rose-pistachio, orange-blossom-walnut, mint, and rose-lemon. Liberty Orchard products are sold in national chain stores and via the internet. Chuckles, produced by Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc., are jelly candies coated with a light layer of sugar, though it is a crystalline coating rather than the powder usually associated with Turkish delight. Since 1964, the Nory Candy company of California has been producing their traditional “Rahat Locum” in rosewater, mint, orange, pomegranate, and licorice flavours as well as pistachio and hazelnut versions of Turkish delight.

Brazil The confection is known in Brazil as Manjar Turco, Delícia Turca, Bala de Goma Síria or Bala de Goma Árabe. As with most Middle Eastern dishes, it came with the Levantine Arab diaspora to Latin America. Britain and Commonwealth Fry’s Turkish Delight Fry’s Turkish Delight is marketed by Cadbury in the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa and can also be found in Canada and New Zealand, which is rosewater flavoured, and covered on all sides in milk chocolate. UK production controversially moved to Poland in 2010. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 cup cornflour 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 teaspoons rosewater essence a few drops of red food colouring 2 cups icing sugar mixture Instructions Lightly oil or spray a 20 x 25cm baking tin and line with baking paper (allow some of the paper to hang over the sides). In a large saucepan, add the sugar and 2 cups of water, then stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the temperature to a medium heat and cook for about 25 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 125°C.

( use a water-dampened pastry brush to occasionally brush down the sides of the cooking pot). In the meantime place the cornflour, cream of tartar, and gelatine into a large saucepan. Form a paste by whisking in a little bit of the remaining water. Whisk in the remaining water and cook over a medium heat, stirring, until the mixture boils and thickens (about 4-5 minutes) Slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatine/cornflour mixture, constantly whisking to prevent lumping. (Remove lumps by pouring through a fine sieve into another saucepan if necessary). Reduce the heat to low and simmer, occasionally stirring (to prevent sticking to the base), for about an hour or until the mixture is a light golden colour and a candy thermometer registers 110°C. Now add the rosewater and a few drops of the food colouring and stir until well mixed through. Pour the mixture into the paper-lined baking tin and set aside to cool to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours until firm.

( if you can resist the temptation, leave it overnight) When set turn out the Turkish Delight and slice into squares ( 3 - 4 cm is a good size) and thoroughly coat with the icing sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container, between layers of greaseproof paper. Nutrition Information Calories: 4466 Fat: 5g Saturated fat: 1g Unsaturated fat: 3g Carbohydrates: 1133g Sugar: 1035g Sodium: 65mg Fiber: 9g Protein: 8g 3.5.3226 Turkish Delight, our speciality is one of the oldest known confections Home Products Order Wholesale About Us Contact Us Welcome to Turkish-Delight.com An old Turkish aphorism tells one to "eat sweetly and speak sweetly". Sweets have always been an important component of Turkish cuisine. The origin of Lokum -Turkish Delight- dates back to the time of the Ottoman Empire. Before the 18th century, honey and grape molasses were the only sweetening agents available to Turkish confectioners.

With the introduction of sugar in the late 18th century, Turkey awakened to a new era of sweet making. Sugar brought with it the beginning of endless creative possibilities to Turkish confectioners. It was during this time that Turkish delight, one of the oldest known confections in the world, was created in the great kitchens of the Ottoman court. A whimsical tale tells of the creation of turkish delight: In an attempt to appease his many wives, a famous Sultan ordered his confectioner to create a unique sweet. Eager to please his Sultan, the confectioner blended a concoction of sugar syrup, various flavourings, nuts and dried fruits then bound them together with mastic (gum Arabic). After several attempts, a most delectable sweet emerged from the royal kitchens. The Sultan was so delighted with these delicious little gems that he proclaimed the sweet maker the court's chief confectioner! And this is the story of how Turkish delight was created. Hereafter, a plate of Turkish delight was served at daily feasts in the Ottoman court. Turkish delight was unveiled to the west in the 19th century.

During his travels to Istanbul, an unknown British traveler became very fond of the Turkish delicacies, purchased cases of "rahat lokoum" and he shipped them to Britain under the name Turkish delight. It is believed that Picasso enjoyed Turkish delight daily to improve his concentration while Napoleon and Winston Churchill relished pistachio filled Turkish delights. Today, Turkish delight remains the sweet of choice in many Turkish homes. Enjoyed worldwide, the subtle flavours of Turkish delight are known to compliment coffee and sweeten the breath at the end of a meal. Traditionally offered as a treat at Christmas in the west, Turkish delight is becoming increasingly popular as a sweet to be enjoyed year-round. Bayco's authentic turkish delight is attractively packaged in a variety of gift boxes. One of our most popular items is the children's gift box The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - a 17.6 Oz. box of assorted turkish delight packaged with the renowned book and blockbuster movie from the Chronicles of Narnia series, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. For more information on this item, please visit our order page .

Bayco Confectionery has been producing Turkish Delight since 1984, using a Turkish recipe which has been passed down through the generations. We can truly say that we are the only manufacturer of authentic Turkish delight in North America. We use all natural ingredients to create our many varieties of Turkish delight. No preservatives or gelatins are used in creation of our products. Please view our Secure Order Site for Orders , details and contact information. At Bayco, we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction. We are committed to offering our customers the very best Turkish delight at the most competitive prices. 1000+ images about Lokum on Pinterest | Turkish delight, Pistachios and Narnia Forward Turkish delight (Lokum) Step 1 Ingredients 2 tablespoon lemon juice 4.5 cups water 4 cups sugar 1 cup cornflour 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 tablespoon rose water, 3 drops natural red food coloring 1 cup icing sugar and 2 tablespoons cornflour to dust. Don't cheat and use gelatin as it won't be authentic, have the desired texture or be suitable for vegetarians. Makes a great Christmas gift for friends & relatives.

This is for plain rose flavor but you can use other flavours and add nuts. 1 Turkish delight ice cream Turkish delight ice cream 09/07/2012 at 16:16 If you like candy, you may have heard about the Ottoman confectioner Bekir Effendi. He came from a small mountain town in Anatolia, in present day Turkey, but was going to make candy history! Bekir Effendi arrived in Istanbul in 1776, set up shop and invented lokum – the sweet known to many today as ‘Turkish delight’. At the time, lokum was a wholly new type of candy – soft and sweet, and open to a number of flavour variations. Lokum (originally rahat lokum – “comfortable morsel”) quickly set new standards for candy and became very popular – not least with the Ottoman Sultan and his court. After his hajj to Mecca, Bekir became known as Haci Bekir, and his candy shop (“Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir Confectioners”) is actually still there in Istanbul.

As the story goes, the Western introduction to lokum came about in the 19th century, and is often credited to a now unknown Briton. Apparently, he became so infatuated with lokum that he had several crates of it sent to London, where it made great success. Soon it had become THE preferred fashionable sweet also in the West, favoured by the rich and the mighty all over the continent. But in Europe, the special candy became better known as … you guessed it – Turkish delight. Bekir Effendi (later known as Haci Bekir) – legendary Ottoman confectionary and inventor of lokum. His shop (although modernised) can still be found in Istanbul. Getting hold of the lokum So, what is lokum actually made of? Some kind of jelly? Actually, while they may be flavoured with a lot of different things, they are mainly made up of starch and sugar. Which also means that you can actually try to make them yourself, for instance by using a micro-wave oven. Go here for instructions that I personally can vouch for, courtesy of the Nestor of modern food science, Harold Mc Gee.

For this recipe, however, I went to my local neighbourhood friendly Turkish corner shop and bought my lokums ready-made (rose water-flavoured). Lokum candy, well-known to many as “Turkish delight” Choosing a good ice cream base Any base (such as one of the oriental ones here ) can, of course, be combined with Turkish delight. But I happened to read a highly enjoyable (but now, sadly gone) post by Catherine Turnbull, describing her quest to recreate her particularly pleasant childhood ice cream memories of Turkish delight ice cream in Scotland. Instantly filled with admiration for such a worthy and dedicated project, I also noted that her ice cream custard base was slightly different from how I normally would have done it. Not having tried that before (milk-only custard with added whipped cream), this felt like another good reason to go ahead! Putting it all together It might be a good idea to start with the lokum. Cutting the cubes into smaller pieces might be a bit tricky, given that they are so sticky. I would recommend that you use confectionery’s sugar to separate the pieces from each other (after all, that is what lokum often comes dusted in … for good reason).

Because of this stickiness, I would also suggest that you do NOT add the lokum pieces while churning the ice cream in your ice cream machine. Instead, blend them into the (almost) finished ice cream when the churning is over. Since lokum basically consists of sugar and starch, the pieces will not freeze solid in the ice cream. They may, however, tend to stick to your teeth – another good reason to cut them small. Chopped up lokum … the smaller pieces, the better When you have cut the lokum into small pieces, place it in the refrigerator to chill. Now, it is time to prepare the ice cream custard. Making the custard base starts out in the traditional way – by whipping together sugar and egg yolks. Then, the steaming hot milk is poured into the mixture (“the tempering stage”) under constant whisking. On low-medium heat, the ice cream custard is then brought to pasteurising temperatures, taken off the stove and cooled down. Having chilled further in the refrigerator for a few hours, the custard base is then combined with softly whipped cream.

To ensure a typically oriental overall flavour, add rose water in personally satisfying quantities to the mixture (exercise caution – too much is likely to be unpleasantly overpowering …). Churn the ice cream base in your ice cream machine according to instructions. When almost finished, pour the ice cream in a freezer-safe container, add and blend in the small pieces of lokum you have prepared. Let the ice cream spend another hour or two in the freezer before serving, in case you want it to stabilise somewhat further. And yes – the ice cream base turned out to be a very adequate, well-performing custard foundation, which I am happy to recommend. Since the base recipe uses whipped cream, I also guess that this is a base that could work well even in the absence of an ice cream machine . Turkish delight ice cream The final result is clearly worthy a Sultan! As you can see, the ice cream is quite beautiful to behold. Still, I would suggest that you close your eyes, smell the rosy fragrance and savour a spoonful of the ice cream. Who knows? With a bit of imagination, you may even find yourself in some nice Arabian Nights dream setting … 🙂 Ps.

Let me also add that even without any lokum, the ice cream is pleasantly oriental in its own right, thanks to the rose water – something to consider if you lack lokum but still long for an oriental ice cream flavour! What is Turkish Delight? | The Turkish Shop What is Turkish Delight? Turkish Cuisine , Turkish Sweets Leave a comment Some of you may be thinking; “surely everyone knows what Turkish delight is!” Right? Well, yes you are right. Kind of. Most people do recognise “Turkish delight”, have an idea of what it is and can at the very least describe it along the lines of; “those little-sweet-fragrant-soft candy things from Narnia “. Often adding “I like the rose and lemon ones” to their vague description of the delightful candy having been acquainted already. But let’s be honest, in our day and age of food awareness where we are constantly reminded of what exactly goes into the making of our foods and its journey to our plates, that’s not much of an accurate description. Nor does it do justice for the national treasure which has now almost become part of the Turkish identity outside of Turkey , synonymous with anything good to come out of Turkey.

So, what is Turkish delight? And how did it come to be known as such globally? Putting aside all the puns and semantics and delving into the real history of Turkish delight reveals an intriguing story of how this simple, yet delightful recipe managed to capture hearts and sweet-tooths all over the world. First up, the “Turkish delight myth”. The Turkish Delight Myth There are several stories about the history of Turkish delight. First and most popular as well as one of the most mythical being that an Ottoman Sultan angrily summoned his Şekercibaşı (chef pâtissier) in the Imperial kitchens at Topkapi Palace and ordered him to concoct a delicacy that was sweet, soothed the throat and not hard on his tooth upon chipping his tooth on hard candy. Yet this account, as well as the less mention worthy account of another Sultan (or who knows, it could’ve been the same one) carrying with him Turkish delights to woo the ladies. As fun as it is to imagine the Sultan grilling his kitchen staff over hard candy or wooing potential lovers with candy, these conflicting accounts are far from truth due to lack of documented historical accounts, and widely disputed amongst Turkish historians and considered myth.

Concubines after having been wooed by the Sultan’s delights? However, the delicacy has indeed been around for centuries. The mastery of getting just the right viscous consistency passed down from generation to generation, keeping true to traditional recipes, ingredients and methods, growing in sophistication with well over 100 different variety of flavours. This time all documented. The Real Turkish Delight The oldest, most well documented account of Turkish delight traces back to an Anatolian man named Bekir Efendi , later titled Hacı Bekir following the completion of his pilgrim duties. Hacı Bekir migrated to Istanbul to establish his now legendary confectionery shop in 1777, which still stands today in Bahçekapı district. In fact this very first shop of Haci Bekir and him serving an Ottoman mother with her two young children were the subject of a watercolour painting by Amadeo Preziosi , a Maltese painter known for his paintings of the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans in the 18th and 19th century. The painting is currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Preziosi’s painting of Hacı Bekir.

Hacı Bekir’s soft and fragrant lokums quickly became popular with the locals and it didn’t take long before word reached the Palace. He was soon appointed Şekercibaşı (chef pâtissier) of the Imperial Kitchens of Topkapı Palace, which churned out daily feasts for the residents of the palace including the royal family and the prominent diplomats of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. Since, Hacı Bekir’s Turkish delight recipe has won countless awards both at home in Turkey and abroad in Europe, which has adorned the walls of his shop along with Ottoman Baroque inspired branding for almost 300 years. Hacı Bekir Logo. Copyright Hacı Bekir Şekerleme Ltd. Şti. Lokum “Turkish Delight” in Europe Turkish delight is known amongst Turks and much of Middle Eastern cultures as Lokum (from the Arabic influenced Ottoman Turkish word rahatü’l-hulkum meaning ‘eases the throat or comforting to the throat’). With the influx of European travellers to the exotic land of Ottoman Empire in the early 19th centry, travellers were introduced to Lokum in Istanbul and brought back boxes of the lumps of delight with them.

However, the term Turkish Delight was coined by the British merchants who first imported the little morsels of soft candy coated in sugar dust on the shores of Great Britain as its fame grew. Eventually, Lokum made its way to the handkerchiefs of the European elite, as a rare, expensive delicacy to be savoured and only accessible to those in the right circles. Turkish Delight leaflet from 1880. Image courtesy of The British Library Board. So Turkish delight made its way into popular western literature in the 1800’s and appeared in many diaries kept by those who have had the fortune of stumbling upon these “lumps of delight”. In fact, much earlier than the popular novel by C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia , in the book The Mystery of Edwin Drood , Charles Dickens references Turkish delights as Rosa Bud mentions a shop “Lumps of Delights” to Edwin, elaborating “a Turkish sweetmeat, sir”. Many other notable travellers share their experiences of the sweet, amongst which an American Naval physician named James de Kay notes in his memoir of his visit to Turkey in the first half of 19th century: . . .

a delicious pasty-mass which melts away in the mouth, and leaves a fragrant flavour behind. It is, as we are informed, made by mixing honey with the inspissated juice of the fresh grape, and the Turks, who esteem it highly, call it rahat locoom or repose to the throat, a picturesque name to which it seems fairly entitled. Frenchman painter traveller Pretextat-Lecomte studied the Turkish arts and crafts as well as cuisine during his stay in Istanbul and has probably the most detailed account of the traditional means by which the best Turkish delight was concocted. You can find his account of authentic Turkish delight recipe on our blog . In hindsight, the British merchants could not have come up with a better name for the tasty treat we’re now accustomed to refer to as Turkish delight. What is in a Turkish Delight? The basic ingredients of Turkish delight are corn starch , caster sugar and various oils and flavourings along with any dried fruits or nuts according to taste. Most modern iterations have also taken to using gelatine as a setting agent and you will find plenty of recipes which advise its use, this is blasphemous to any artisan who’s in the business of making authentic Turkish delight, the traditional way.

You can only achieve the perfect texture using this traditional method, resulting in a gradually melting delight as it soothes its way towards ones throat, slowly releasing a heavenly mix of flavours from the oils and fruits. How is Turkish Delight made? Turkish delights secret lies in the arduous process of slowly boiling cornstarch and sugar syrup over low heat for several hours, resulting in dense jelly like sticky morsels of flavoured candy. The soft jelly mixture is then cut into small cubes and dusted with icing sugar. To achieve the perfectly soft, disappear in the mouth Lokum, you’ll need this special Turkish delight recipe, reported by a French traveller, who actually witnessed it be prepared in the Imperial Kitchens. Pouring the viscous gel base on to dusting sugar. Cutting up into thin strips and cubes. Flavours of Turkish Delights A whole variety of flavours are now available, most traditional and oldest being rosewater and orange blossom water flavoured Turkish delight. Turks choice of delight are layered with crushed nuts, most popular being roasted pistachios, hazelnuts and coconut flakes added into the mixture and rolled layer by layer to create a sushi like presentation. Selection of Turkish delight flavours at the Grand Bazaar.

There are well over a hundred varieties and combinations of Turkish delight (possibly even more, including limited edition or seasonal flavours mostly made during months of Ramadan). Most popular Turkish delight flavours are rose , lemon, orange, pomegranate , mint, mastic, pistachio , hazelnut, walnut and cream. More recently chocolate covered Turkish delight as well as other exotic flavours such as coffee have also gained in popularity. How best to enjoy Turkish Delight Turkish delight in Turkey is mostly consumed in moderate, and on special occasions, as is custom to bring Turkish delight to a joyous occasion such as the birth of a newborn, friend and family visits during the festive months of Ramadan. However, having Turkish coffee is also an occasion for the Turks and that is an occasion often accompanied with some luxury Turkish delight than not. Turkish coffee is usually served with a cube or two of double roasted pistachio delights at most establishments and households. It is customary to have lokum before and after coffee, cleansing the palette with water each time in between. Turkish Delights & Coffee Turkish Delight Turkish Delight Turkish Delight Turkish Delight is a candy with a gummy, rubbery texture, though some mass commercial versions can be quite hard.

It is made from sugar, rose water, corn starch, and water, with the addition of cream of tartar to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing. Some versions are sweeter than others. Turkish Delight is usually tinted pink or green. To make Turkish Delight the sugar, water and corn starch are mixed together and boiled from 1 to 2 hours at 300 F (149 C.) Cooking it too long will make it hard; cooking it too little will cause it not to set. The cooked mixture is then poured into flat wooden trays sprinkled with more corn starch, then more corn starch is sprinkled on top of the mixture. It is allowed to set for 24 to 48 hours, then removed from the tray, the starch is brushed off, and it is sprinkled with icing sugar (aka powdered sugar), then cut into pieces. Better quality Turkish Delight is often sold packed in wooden boxes. Turkish Delight is sometimes coated in chocolate or has chopped nuts in it such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts, or pine nuts.

It can also have fruit such as candied sour cherries, candied lemon or orange peel, dried apricots, or strawberries. It may be flavoured with mint, mastic, or vanilla. It may have dried, shredded coconut in it or may be dusted with dried, shredded coconut in lieu of the icing sugar. In Afyon, Turkey, clotted cream (made locally) is added; this version is called "kaymakli lokum." Many people don't like the texture of Turkish Delight, and compare it to congealed latex. Turkish Delight is also made in Cyprus, where it's called "Loukkoumi." In the UK, Turkish Delight is made by Cadbury's; their version is chocolate-coated. Their Turkish Delight was actually first launched as Fry's in 1924 (Cadbury's later bought Fry's out.) Cadbury's slogan for their Turkish Delight is "Full of Eastern Promise." In North America, it appears that Turkish Delight is only made commercially by a company called "Bayco" in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Nutrition Low in fat.

History Notes Turkish Delight as we know it came about with the introduction of sugar in the late 1700s. Earlier versions of Turkish Delight used honey or grape syrup as the sweetener, and flour instead of starch. There are many legends around the invention of Turkish Delight, all involving sultans of course. One is that a sultan (Abdul Hamid I) ordered his confectioner to create something as a treat for his many bored mistresses (Turkish sultans were allowed only four wives, but hundreds of mistresses.) Another is that a sultan (unnamed) wanted soft candies that didn't hurt his teeth. Turkish Delight, as we know it now, was actually created in Istanbul by Haci Bekir from Araç in Kastamonu. Bekir's real name was Bekir Effendi, but he became known as Haci Bekir after he completed his pilgrimage to Mecca.

In 1777, Bekir opened a sweet shop in the Bahcekapi district of Istanbul (the old quarter now.) It was a very small shop, at the corner of Hamidiye Caddesi and Seyhülislam Hayri Efendi Caddesi, two blocks east of what is now called the New Mosque ("Yeni Cami".) There, Bekir made and sold lokum, which we now call in English "Turkish Delight." Again, he was not the first to make Turkish Delight, but he was the first to switch to using sugar (beet sugar) and cornstarch (sometime in the first few decades of the 1800s) instead of grape molasses and flour.

Bekir became famous throughout the city for the cleanliness of his shop and the quality of his sweets (not just his lokum, but other candies as well such as "akide"), and was appointed "Chief Confectioner" to the Ottoman Court by Abdul Hamid I (20 March 20 1725 to 7 April 1789.) When Bekir died at the age of 95, the shop passed to his son Muhiddin and then to Muhiddin's son, named Ali (died 1974 aged 83.) The name of the store became "Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir." As of 2006, the business is still owned by Ali's daughter, Bekir's great-granddaughter, and is still called "Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir Confectioners." It is also still in the same small shop in the same location, though not all the candy is made there now.

The family has a factory outside of Istanbul in Pendik, along with two other shops in Istanbul, two in Ankara and one in Cairo (as of 2006.) Turkish Delight was reputedly introduced to the West by some unknown traveller who brought it back to England. It is entirely probable that many travellers brought it back to Europe, but it came to the attention of the general public through being awarded a Silver Medal at the Vienna Fair in 1873. Literature & Lore In the Louvre, there is a painting of an aged Haci Bekir weighing out candy (often assumed to be Turkish Delight), painted by Vittorio Amadeo, 5th Count Preziosi (1816-1882.) "'Tis sweet with the meat of the lichi nut, Combined with the kumquat rind, The kind of confection To drive a man out of His Mesopotamian mind!..." -- From the song "Rahadlakum", from the musical "Kismet" by Wright and George Forrest. 1953.

(Sung by Joan Diener on Broadway; Dolores Gray in the film.) "The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious..." -- . C.S. Lewis. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Language Notes Turkish Delight in Turkish is called "Lokum" or "loukoum", or "rahat lokum" meaning "comfortable morsel" or "rest for the throat", depending on whose translation you go by. The Turkish word comes from the Arabic phrase "rahat ul hulkum" meaning "soothing to the throat." Sources Associated Press. Turks riled as Cyprus set to win EU trademark on Turkish Delight. International Herald Tribune. 13 December 2007. Brown, Jonathan. The Lion, the Witch & the Turkish Delight. London: The Independent. 5 December 2005. Howe, Marvin. Fare of the Country (Turkish Delight).

New York: New York Times. 23 October 1983. See also:

Question: What is the better known name for the confectionary Rahat Lokum?
Answer: Turkish Delight