Turkish Delight – The Twelve Craves of Christmas #2

Turkish Delight is one of those treats we usually give as presents or indulge in ourselves at Christmas.  It can be called Greek Delight in Cyprus, or Cyprus Delight in Armenia!  Its native name ‘lokum’ means ‘morsel’.  It may have originated in Persia centuries ago, and was known throughout the Middle East, though it was first made commercially in the eighteenth century by the Haci Bekir company which still sells Turkish Delight from its original shop in Istanbul.

Turkish Delight comes in many delicious and delicate flavours

It is a mixture of sugar and corn starch flavoured with delicate flavours such as rosewater, orange blossom water, lemon, pistachio, bergamot, cinnamon and peppermint.  The jellies are like marshmallow soft cubes, powered with icing sugar, that melt in your mouth.   They are traditionally served with tea or coffee.  It is believed Turkish Delight may have inspired the interior of jelly beans with all their myriad flavours (another Christmas treat).

The ‘British’ variety is usually a dense chocolate covered jelly which is not quite so gorgeous.  I remember first tasting this version as a child and thinking ‘But why did Edmund betray his siblings for this, even if it was enchanted by the White Witch? He is such a villain!’ You may remember this scene from the book or the film of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C S Lewis.  This association also gives it a Christmassy feel – especially as (spoiler alert) Father Christmas turns up later in the story!

If you want to try and make some Turkish Delight for yourself (advisable with a sugar thermometer) there are lots of recipes available – a simple one follows.

Turkish Delight recipe at BBC Good Food

A look at many other recipes can be found in this article.