Turkish_delight, Turkish_delight Information, Turkish


Dodge Recall - Shopping, RECALLS - Vehicle Recall
how oil, while drilling, web site, surface data, ocean drilling
web site, web page, click here website design, web site, design

For other uses, see Turkish Delight (disambiguation).

A display of Turkish Delight in Istanbul

Turkish Delight, lokum, or loukoum is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater and lemon, the former giving it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, jelly-like and sometimes sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with sugar or copra to prevent sticking. Some types contain small nut pieces, usually pistachio, hazelnut or walnuts. Other common types include flavors such as cinnamon or mint.

Origin

A tray of Turkish Delight

According to the Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir Confectioners company of Istanbul, founded in 1777, lokum has been produced in Turkey since the 15th century. Originally, honey and molasses were used as sweeteners, and water and flour were the binding agents. The recipe for lokum as we know it today, using the new ingredients of sugar and starch, was invented and popularized by the Hacı Bekir company during the 19th century.Hacı Bekir Efendi

Lokum was introduced to the west in the 19th century. An unknown Briton became very fond of the delicacy during his travels to Istanbul, and purchased cases of lokum, to be shipped back to Britain under the name Turkish Delight. It became a major delicacy not only in Britain, but throughout continental Europe.Awarded a Silver Medal at the Vienna Fair in 1873.

Name

The Turkish word lokum may come from lokma in Turkish or لقوم lukuum, the Arabic plural of لقمة luqma(t) \'morsel\' or \'mouthful\'Diran Kélékian, Dictionnaire Turc-Français (Ottoman Turkish), 1911. Alternatively, it may have derived from Ottoman rahat hulkum or Arabic راحة الحلقم rahat al-hulkum \'contentment of the throat\' Maan Medina, Arabic-English Dictionary, 1973Claudia Roden, A Book of Middle Eastern Food (Roden is Egyptian). In Libya, for example, it is known as حلقوم ḥalgūm. In Bosnia, its name "rahatluk" clearly relates this etimology.

In English, it was formerly called "lumps of delight".Oxford English Dictionary

Around the world

In North America, Turkish Delight is not especially common, but it forms the basic foundation of the Big Turk and Fry\'s Turkish Delight chocolate bars. It is also the basis for most of Liberty Orchards\' line of confectionery, including Aplets & Cotlets and is the state candy of Washington. It is known in Brazil (called rahat) due to Lebanese immigration.

Armenian, Cypriot, Greek (called "λουκούμι", loukoumi), Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian (Albanian: "llokum", Bulgarian and Macedonian: "локум", lokum), Romanian (called "rahat"), Russia as well as in some former Yugoslav states like Bosnia and Herzegovina (called "rahat lokum"), or Serbia ("ратлук", ratluk), Iranian and other Middle Eastern cuisines also have sweets similar to Turkish delight. In Cyprus, Turkish Delight is marketed in English as Cyprus Delight, in resentment to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Jelly desserts are also common in Asia, but they are entirely different from the composition of Turkish Delight and that of other Middle Eastern cuisines: Korean chapssaeltteok, similar to Japanese mochi, is a sweet cake made from sticky rice and usually filled with sweet red bean paste. China has a similar cake too, usually using sesame paste as well as red beans. The Indonesian version, the sticky \'dodol\' is made with rice flour, palm sugar and santan (coconut milk). It is sometimes flavoured with the durian fruit.

In India there are sweets known as halwas which have a similar texture, though they taste quite different. Types of halwa are identified by the region from which they are believed to originate such as Bombay halwa and Tirunelveli halwa.

Protected geographical indication

Despite its worldwide popularity and production in several countries, at present, the only pending protected geographical indication (PGI) for such a product is for loukoumi made in Cyprus."Turks riled as Cyprus set to win EU trademark on Turkish Delight", International Herald Tribune, Associated Press, December 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.