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Turkish delight
Gelatinous candy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Turkish delight, or lokum (/ˈlɒkʊm/), is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. The confection is often packaged in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging.
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The Turkish names lokma and lokum are derived from the Arabic word luqma(t) (لُقْمَة) and its plural luqam (لُقَم) meaning 'morsel' and 'mouthful'[6] According to Nişanyan The word lokma derives from the Turkish word lātiloḳum, meaning "a sweet made with starch" and this word derives from the Arabic word rāḥatu'l-ḥulḳūm راحت الحلقوم, meaning comfort of the throat.[7][8] He also states that lokum is essentially the name of the fried dough dessert known today as lokma. The commercial product known as rahatül-hulkum, known from the 17th century, is understood to have been named after the sound similarity: latilokum > lokum.[9] The form (رَاحَةُ ٱلْحُلْقُوم), meaning 'comfort of the throat', remains the name in formal Arabic.[10]
In Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Tunisia it is known as ḥalqūm, while in Kuwait it is called كبده الفرس kabdat alfaras; in Egypt it is called malban (ملبن [ˈmælbæn]) or ʕagameyya, and in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria rāḥa (راحة).
Although it is called "malban" in some regions, "malban" may also refer to other similar desserts, such as a type of grape fruit leather made with semolina and grape juice popular in the Levant,[11][12].
Its name in various Eastern European languages comes from Ottoman Turkish lokum (لوقوم) or rahat-ul hulküm. Its name in Greek, λουκούμι (loukoumi) shares a similar etymology with the modern Turkish and it is marketed as Greek Delight. In Cyprus, where the dessert has protected geographical indication (PGI),[13][14] it is also marketed as Cyprus Delight. In Armenian it is called lokhum (լոխում). It is läoma ܠܥܡܐ in Assyrian. Its name in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, and Israel is rahat lokum, and derives from a very old confusion of the two names found already in Ottoman Turkish;[8] indeed this mixed name can also be found in Turkey today. Its name in Serbo-Croatian is ratluk (ратлук), a reduced form of the same name. In Persian, it is called rāhat-ol-holqum (راحت الحلقوم).[15] In the Indian subcontinent, a variant of it is known as Karachi halwa or Bombay halwa. In Hungary it is called szultán kenyér (Sultan's bread).[citation needed]
In English, it was formerly alternatively known as "lumps of delight".[16]
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History
Turkish claims
According to the Hacı Bekir confectionary company, Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir moved to Constantinople from his hometown Kastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapı in 1777. He produced various kinds of candies and lokum, later including a unique form of lokum made with starch and sugar.[17][18] Tim Richardson, a historian of sweets, has questioned the popular attribution of the invention of Turkish delight to Hacı Bekir, writing that "specific names and dates are often erroneously associated with the invention of particular sweets, not least for commercial reasons".[19] Similar Persian recipes, including the use of starch and sugar, predate Bekir by several centuries.[20] The Oxford Companion to Food states that although Bekir is often credited with the invention, there is no real evidence for it.[21]
Iranian claims
Some sources suggest that lokum was invented during the Safavid Iran period.[1]
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Around the world
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Europe
Armenia
In Armenia, Turkish delight is known as lokhum (լոխում) and used for various sweets. For example, it is used to make cigarette cookies (Armenian: սիգարետ թխվածքաբլիթներ), soft cookies that are rolled into the form of a cigarette. They are filled with either lokhum, a mixture of sugar, cardamom, and walnuts, or a combination of both. The dough mainly consists of matzoon, butter, eggs, and flour. When finished the pastry is dusted with powdered sugar.[22][23]
Former Ottoman territories in the Balkans
Turkish delight was introduced to European portions of the Ottoman Empire under its rule and has remained popular. Today it is commonly consumed with coffee. Rosewater and walnut are the most common flavorings.[citation needed]
Bulgaria
In Bulgarian, Turkish delight is known as lokum (локум) and enjoys some popularity.[citation needed]
Greece and Cyprus
In Greece, Turkish delight, known as loukoumi (λουκούμι), has been popular since the 19th century or earlier, famously produced in the city of Patras (Patrina loukoumia) as well as on the island of Syros and the northern Greek cities Thessaloniki, Serres and Komotini but elsewhere as well. Loukoumi is a common traditional treat, routinely served instead of biscuits along with coffee. In addition to the common rosewater and bergamot varieties, mastic-flavored loukoumi is available and very popular. Another sweet, similar to loukoumi, that is made exclusively in the town of Serres, is akanés. Cyprus is the only country that has a protected geographical indication (PGI) for this product: Loukoumi made in Yeroskipou is called Λουκούμι Γεροσκήπου (loukoumi geroskipou).[24]
India/Pakistan
In Karachi, now in Pakistan, the "Karachi halwa" was made with corn flour and ghee and became quite popular. It is said to have been developed by Chandu Halwai which later relocated to Bombay (Mumbai) after the partition in 1947.[25] Some of the confectioners termed it Bombay Halwa to avoid its connection with a Pakistani city.[26] In the year 1896, a confectioner Giridhar Mavji who ran a shop Joshi Budhakaka Mahim Halwawala attempted to replace the starch with wheat flour and thus invented Mahim halwa which consists of flat sheets.[27]
Ireland, the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries
Fry's Turkish Delight, created in 1914,[28] is marketed by Cadbury in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. It is rosewater-flavored, and covered on all sides in milk chocolate. UK production moved to Poland in 2010.[29] Hadji Bey was an Armenian emigrant to Ireland who in 1902 set up an eponymous company – still in existence – to produce rahat lokoum for the Irish and later UK markets.[citation needed]
North America
In Canada, the Big Turk chocolate bar made by Nestlé consists of dark magenta Turkish delight coated in milk chocolate.[citation needed]
Romania
In Romania, Turkish delight is called rahat and it is eaten as is or is added in many Romanian cakes called cornulețe, cozonac or salam de biscuiţi.[30]
Serbia
In Serbia it is commonly known as ratluk and served along with tea and coffee.[citation needed]
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Related products
Turkish delight was an early precursor to the jelly bean, inspiring its gummy interior.[31][32]
In popular culture
Turkish delight features as the enchanted confection the White Witch uses to gain the loyalty of Edmund Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by C. S. Lewis.[33] Sales of Turkish delight rose following the theatrical release of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[34]
Cultural significance
Turkish delight holds deep cultural significance in Greece, Turkey, Iran, and across the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It symbolizes hospitality, generosity, and celebration. In Turkey, lokum is a staple during festive occasions such as weddings, where it symbolizes sweetness and prosperity in the couples' life together.[35] Similarly, during religious festivals like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, it is exchanged as gifts among family and friends. In Greece, loukoumi is a symbol of hospitality and refinement.[36] It is commonly served to guests alongside tea or coffee, representing warmth and respect for visitors.[37] Lokum's sweet taste is often seen as a metaphor for the sweetness of life and relationships, making it a beloved symbol of joy and togetherness.[citation needed]
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See also
- Aplets & Cotlets – Confection
- Botan Rice Candy – Japanese brand of confectionery
- Dodol – Southeast Asian sweet toffee
- Greek cuisine – Culinary traditions of Greece
- Gumdrop – Type of candy
- Gyūhi – Traditional Japanese sweet
- Halva – Confections often made from nut butters or flours
- Karachi Halwa – Indian confection
- Marron glacé – Chestnut candy confection from France and Italy
- Marzipan – Confection of sugar, honey and almond flour
- Masghati – Soft, translucent Iranian confection
- Mochi – Japanese rice cake
- Turkish cuisine – Culinary traditions of Turkey
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References
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