Turkish Delight or Lokum is a sweet snack make from a gelatinous mix of starch and sugar. (There is no gelatine in the recipe as it is not halal.) And you guessed it, it originates from Turkey but is commonly found in Europe and the Middle East.
Lebanese style Turkish delight is my favourite kind for the moment in rose and lemon. I can buy it fresh locally. Until I can get my hands on good pistachio laden Turkish delight I am staying put. I’m more than satisfied.
I bought rosewater. And I have pistachios in the cupboard, but I haven’t gotten around to making it yet. I would make mint, rose and lemon, all containing pistachio. I would like to make my own. I will experiment in the kitchen one day but I know it’s full of sugar so I keep delaying the making of it. I justify my logic in that I’m keeping the local shop in business and at the same time helping maintain a smaller waistline. So If I buy a small box it can be shared without guilt. If I make my own then there will be a big batch and it would be more tempting. You can see how hard it is for a sweet tooth like me. I crave the things I shouldn’t. Human nature. Adam couldn’t resist the apple.
When we were in Istanbul we tried our fair share of Turkish delight along with baklava. The shop window displays with mounds of mouth watering sweets at every turn. They were hard to resist. The experience of wandering along the cobbled streets of İstiklal Caddesi (Istiklal Avenue) and finding the sweet shop Haci Bekir which has been around since 1777 was a special moment. They export to as far away as Australia and New Zealand. I am just reliving the moment…
It’s funny how with food, a taste or a smell can bring back memories in a flash. Some people think in music and associate music with times in their lives from just the snippet of a tune from the radio, I would have to say it is food for me, just a mouthful, a glance or a whiff let the memories return.
teşekkür ederim (te-she-cur–ed-er-rim)
The Turkish word for thank you. A hard word to pronounce, we used it often and now it cannot be forgotten.
throve 