History And Traditions In The Preparation Of Turkish Delight

2025 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-23 10:18

It is still debatable which is the homeland of this sweet temptation. One of the legends says that in the 15th century a distant sultan ordered the court confectioner to mix a hitherto unheard of dessert to impress the women of his harem.

The Turkish delight was made when the chef mixed sugar syrup with different flavors and nuts. Of course, the attempts were not one or two.

Another legend says that in the twelfth century Turkish delight first appeared on the table of Richard the Lionheart. Among the served meats, fruits and delicacies was the Turkish delight.

Slavic legend tells of a brave young man who managed to redeem his beloved, which was intended for the harem of the sultan with Turkish delight. He presented the sweet temptation to the ruler and returned his beloved.

Later in history, the Turkish delight managed to conquer the hearts of English aristocrats. He found his place of honor in their sacred tea ceremony. While drinking their afternoon tea, the high authorities in England also liked to eat Turkish delight. Then the dessert was prepared from starch and sugar water. Sometimes flavored with rose water, vanilla or lemon.

Turkish delight has as many varieties as you can imagine. It can contain walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, coconut shavings and much, much more. The sweet temptation is usually served cut into small pieces, covered with powdered sugar or coconut shavings.

Still, the Balkan Peninsula can be considered the ancestor of Turkish delight. Perhaps that is why it is most common in Bulgarian, Turkish, Albanian, Bosnian, Greek, Cypriot and Romanian cuisine.

In the Bulgarian latitudes there is a rich palette of Turkish delights - Lokum Classic, Lokum with bergamot, Lokum Smetana, Lokum Mint, Lokum mead, Lokum with nuts and all kinds of fruit flavors.

In our southern neighbor Turkey, they rely on their old saying - "Eat sweet and talk sweet." This is where the expression "rahat lokum" comes from - an emblem of undisturbed satisfaction and boundless pleasure. Before sugar was produced, the Turkish delight was sweetened with honey and grape molasses.

The story goes that Picasso himself ate Turkish delight every day to improve his concentration and get inspiration. Napoleon and Winston Churchill were passionate fans of pistachio Turkish delight.

Not only pleasure for the senses is Turkish delight, it has a therapeutic and healing effect. It is said to have a beneficial effect on hypertension and elevated cholesterol in the human body. Dessert is a food product with a high glucose content - hence its positive effect.

Turkish delight for centuries has the fame of a powerful aphrodisiac and love food.