A History Of Turkish Delight

The Ottoman Empire has had a great impact on the world, one of the best souvenirs it left is the Turkish delight. This is also known as Lokum which is not to be confused with a locum, and its taste will for sure knock your test buds out. The Turkish delight is a family of elaborate sweet delicacies, based on a gel of starch and sugar. Top-quality Turkish delights are made using chopped dates, hazelnuts, or walnuts bound by the gel, and traditionally the Turkish delights are flavored with rosewater, mastic, bergamot orange, or lemon. After preparing the Lokum, they are served as small cubes and dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. The word Lokum, as these confections are originally called in Turkey, comes from the Arabic word that means mouthful. The Ottoman Turkish used to call it an Arabic name Rahat-ul hulkum; which approximately translates to the comfort of the throat. From the way these names sound, it is a great idea that you should try to taste this Turkish Delight candy. 

The history behind the Turkish delight

The exact origin of the Turkish delight is still discussed by food historians, its recipe was invented in the 18th century in the Ottoman Empire and that is a fact. However, there are legends of a confectioner called Bekir Effendi who lived in a small town called Kastamonu in the mountains of Anatolia. He came to Istanbul around 1777 to open his confections shop. Bekir was a very skilled confectioner and inside his kitchen, he came up with the now-famous Turkish delights. His invention became a token of love for lovers and a gift item among the socialites. This new recipe started gaining its popularity until it reached the Sultan. After the Sultan tasted and liked it, the Turkish delight was elevated to the highest status and royal courtesans flooded Bekir’s business with regular orders.

Nowadays, Bekir’s shop still stands in Turkey; it is owned by his descendants and now run by the new generation of families he employed. It is now located in Hamidiye Caddesi at the corner of Seyhulislam Hayri Effendi Caddesi. There are other legends to the origins of the Lokum but the Bekir one is the one with visual proof, as you can visit his confectionary and taste the Turkish delights from there.

How to make the Turkish delight?

The taste of the Turkish delights is so unique and below, we have assembled some of the common steps of preparing Turkish delights.

Step 1

Refined sugar is the main ingredient of Turkish delights and you will need at least 4 cups. Next, you have to measure four and a half cups of water into a container. Other ingredients are:

• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cups of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of tartar cream
• 1 ½ tablespoon of rosewater
• Optional food coloring for color customization

Step 2

You have to prepare a 9-by-9 inches pan by layering it with an aluminum foil. Before doing so you need to spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray which can be easily found at the grocery store. Set the pan aside for now and follow other steps.

Step 3

Put the mixture of the sugar, lemon juice, and 1 ½ cups of the measured water in a saucepan and heat using medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar fully dissolves and then bring the mixture to boil.

Step 4

Insert a candy thermometer in the saucepan; prepare a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan to stop the sugar crystals from building up. Let the mixture boil until it reaches 240 F, keep track using the candy thermometer as this might take up to 60 minutes.

Step 5

At 225 F, you can get the rest of the ingredients ready. Place the remaining water (3 cups) in another slightly larger saucepan, and then put the cornstarch and cream of tartar. Mix until the starch dissolves and no visible chunks are remaining.

Step 6 

Put the new saucepan on medium heat; stir until the mixture becomes thick and pasty.

Step 7

Pour the candy syrup at 240 F slowly into the cornstarch mixture and whisk until the two fully blends. Put the mixture on low heat and mix every 10 minutes for an hour until the mixture turns light golden yellow.

Step 8 

After one hour, remove the mixture from the heat and add food coloring and the rosewater. Pour the candy into the mentioned above pan with aluminum foil and allow it to rest overnight. After removing the candy from the pan, dust with powdered sugar and use an oiled chef’s knife to cut it in squares.

Conclusion

The Turkish delights are a very sweet and enjoyable candy. Use the mentioned above steps to prepare and enjoy them at home.