Three centuries ago, these elastic pieces of pleasure with a floral flavor were available only to the elite.

Today, the delicious creation of the confectioners of the Ottoman Empire - Turkish delight - is considered one of the best means depression prevention.

Turkish delight is one of the most famous oriental sweets.

What else is Turkish delight useful for, what is it made of, and is it possible to prepare a delicate delicacy at home?

Eastern fairy tale

According to legend, in order to please the sultan, who was tired of being content with hard oriental sweets, the Turkish confectioner of the late 18th century, Ali Mahiddin, poured a viscous mass of hot sugar syrup and starch dissolved in water into a flat mold, and when the sweet mixture froze, sprinkled it with powdered sugar and cut it into small pieces. , comfortable pieces.

Convenient pieces - this is the translation of the Turkish name Turkish delight that is most widely used. But there is another meaning - pleasure for the throat.

Soft pieces of pleasure pleased not only the fastidious Sultan, but also the numerous inhabitants of his harem, which became the reason for further confectionery experiments. Figs, nuts, honey, fruit juices, spices and even rose petals were added to the simple recipe. The form of the treat has also changed. Modern Turkish delight resembles animal figurines and fruits; it can be “rolled” into a roll, whole or two-layered.
Today there is an unimaginable number of varieties of Turkish Delight

Pleasure with benefits

Whether Turkish delight is good for the body can be judged by its components.

Water, sugar, and starch are the only ingredients in white delight and are required in other varieties.

Representative simple sugars- glucose, which abounds in a delicate delicacy, contributes to increased secretion of "happiness hormones" - endorphins, generates energy for the heart and brain, and has a positive effect on the condition of the hair.

Its tandem with another simple sugar - starch - after certain chemical metamorphoses, is converted into a special substance with antiviral activity, which prevents susceptibility to colds.
Thanks to this set of "utilities", the classic white Turkish delight is not contraindicated even when breastfeeding. You need to introduce it into the diet gradually, using it in the morning and observing the skin reaction of the baby.

When using Turkish delight during pregnancy, you should be content with small "portions of pleasure" - like any sweet treat, it can cause bloating.

What else can Turkish delight contain, and how is it useful?

The more natural ingredients Turkish delight contains, the higher its benefits. Thus, the addition of nuts and honey to the recipe contributes to the activation of sexual function in men and women. Turkish delight with bergamot tones well, and with rose oil it drives away depression and restores strength. If Turkish delight is "involved" in orange juice, beneficial features it is determined by the antiviral activity of ascorbic acid.
Orange Juice Turkish Delight is a Great Source of Vitamin C

Knowing of limits

But still, you should not actively lean on Turkish delight: the product contains a considerable amount of “fast” carbohydrates, and its immoderate consumption threatens with a significant weight gain.
The calorie content of one cube of regular Turkish delight is 60.3 kcal; walnut - from 63 to 65 kcal. Least Calorie Pink and Chocolate Turkish Delight: the energy value one soft candy "fits" in 56-59 kcal.

On average, one sweet piece contains 3 teaspoons of sugar. For this reason, nutritionists do not recommend using Turkish delight in a diet aimed at combating obesity, as well as for diabetics.

People seeking to lose weight often ask another question: is there any fat in Turkish Delight?
Its content in 100 grams of tender treats is 0.2 - 0.7 grams. Therefore, Turkish delight can become a sweet “compromise” for weight loss - eat 1-2 pieces of it in the morning instead of rich desserts with cream. The only exception is a delicacy made from carrots, which contains up to 15 grams of fat.

Often, lovers of Turkish delight doubt: is it possible to use it in fasting? All the ingredients of these fragrant sweets are exclusively of plant origin, the use of which is not forbidden even during fasting.

Cooking a delicate delicacy with our own hands

It seems that they figured out what it is - Turkish delight and what it is made of. But let's add a secret: current manufacturers often "imitate" the delicate aroma of oriental sweetness, replacing natural ingredients synthetic colors and flavors. And even in the homeland of delight - in Turkey - they often sin with completely unhelpful E-components. And therefore, it is more reliable to cook Turkish delight with your own hands.

But first you need to familiarize yourself with some technological tricks:

  • Factory-made Turkish delight contains preservatives, which is why its shelf life can reach six months. When cooking homemade treats they are not used, and therefore it should be eaten within a few days;
  • To freeze the Turkish delight, it is placed in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours;
  • So that the sweetness does not gain moisture over time, it is first rolled in starch, and then in powdered sugar;
  • Except food ingredients, you will need 2 containers - a brass basin for making jam and an enameled cauldron.

How Turkish delight is made in the factory - see the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJVbxUTHOt0

How to cook Turkish Delight at home?

It is best to start a confectionery experiment by preparing Turkish Delight as the classic Turkish recipe recommends:

  • Wheat or rice starch (750 gr) pour 2 cups of cool water and leave it to swell;
  • Simultaneously cook sugar syrup, observing the proportion for 900 grams of sugar - 2 cups of water. During its preparation, foam is formed, which should be carefully collected;
  • After waiting for the sugar syrup to become absolutely transparent, stir the “approached” starch to a homogeneous mass and, stirring constantly, pour it into a container with syrup, which is left on fire until the sweet mass begins to lag behind its edges and walls.

    When this happens, remove the container from the heat, add a small amount of diluted gelatin or gum tragacanth to the resulting brew - they will give the future delicacy lightness and tenderness;

  • Harmless food coloring can be added if desired;
  • Now is the time to stir well and pour sweet mass on the prepared sheet, and take it out to the cold. Cut the frozen mass into pieces, which are gently rolled in powdered sugar.

Video recipe for classic Turkish Delight:

It is easy to make Turkish Delight at home using this recipe:

  • Dilute 3 cups of starch in the same amount of water, stir the lumps and leave for a while;
  • After pouring 3 cups of sugar into another container, pour it with 3 cups of water; stirring, bring to a boil and periodically remove the foam;
  • When the sugar syrup becomes transparent, pour the starch solution into it, not forgetting to quickly stir the latter;
  • Add half a glass of peeled and halved almonds;
  • Stirring continuously, boil the sweet mass until it becomes thick;
  • Put the thickened mass on a baking sheet, and, moistening your hands with cold water, form a layer 2-2.5 cm thick;
  • When it cools down, cut into “convenient” pieces for you and roll each of them in powdered sugar.


Turkish delight from carrots will not make you spend a lot:

  • Grated on a fine grater 800 g of carrots, pour 250 g of sugar and, putting it in a saucepan, simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the juice is released. In order not to burn, you can add 3-4 tbsp. water;
  • Prepare and add lemon and orange zest to carrot syrup, 1 tbsp each.
  • Dilute 150 g of corn starch in 50 ml of cold water, break up the lumps and combine with carrot puree, cook for a few more minutes, stirring thoroughly;
  • Soon the mass will turn orange and begin to thicken. As soon as she begins to “depart” from the walls of the saucepan, remove it from the stove and take care of the walnuts;
  • Coarsely chop them half a glass and, combining with the carrot mixture, stir with a wooden spatula;
  • Put the finished mass in a low layer (2-2.5 cm) in a low container covered with foil and send it to “spend the night” in the refrigerator;
  • In the morning, cut into "comfortable pieces" and dip each in coconut flakes or powdered sugar.

You will find a detailed recipe for carrot Turkish delight in the video:

Another delicacy that is good for the body is Protein Bars. You can read all about them

Delicious pumpkin Turkish delight in diseases of the digestive system is indicated as a sweet medicine:

  • Cut into large pieces 200 gr pumpkin;
  • Pour 400 g of sugar into a separate pan and pour it with 100 ml of water, boil until completely dissolved. Add pieces of pumpkin to the finished syrup and continue to cook over medium heat;
  • When the pieces of the sunny fruit become soft, remove the pan from the heat, let the sweet mass cool slightly and use a blender to turn it into a smooth puree;
  • Add the juice of half a lemon, mix and - again on the fire;
  • Dissolve 2 cups of starch in 1.5 cups of water and, getting rid of lumps, add it to the boiled puree. Don't forget to stir;
  • After a couple of minutes, remove the pan from the heat;
  • Pour the cooled puree into the greased butter a low shape (up to 2.5 cm) and refrigerate for a couple of hours;
  • Cut the frozen mass into pieces and dip each in powdered sugar.

After preparing delicious Turkish delight and comparing its benefits and harms to the body, enjoy the pieces of pleasure without forgetting the sense of proportion.

Similar content


When you try Turkish delight for the first time, it seems something unimaginable, like a thousand and one nights: very sweet, so sweet that you can’t eat more than two or three pieces; very satisfying, varied: spices, nuts, fruit puree, aromatic additives, infusions ... When you get to know each other better, you understand that oriental sweetness is insidious: it looks simple, there are a minimum of ingredients, but the confectioner will need all his patience and accuracy: if you don’t understand “the moment of readiness ”, you may not get a result. Therefore, I recommend a bunch: Turkish delight - a recipe at home, with a photo and a detailed description.

What is Turkish delight made from?In many recipes that I have read and tried, the same composition, the ratio of ingredients and the principle of preparation is maintained. The base, the basis of Turkish delights is a thick, boiled down, highly concentrated sugar syrup mixed with a starch paste. Starch is recommended to use corn. As for the syrup, it is boiled both in water and in juices, infusions, flower waters. The amount of syrup is conditional: if you take more of it, then it will take longer to cook, and vice versa. The amount of water indicated in my recipe is not standard, it just means that I tried to cook Turkish delight with this amount of liquid and got the result. Nuts are often added to Turkish delight, pieces of dessert are sprinkled on top with powdered sugar with starch or coconut flakes.

The Turkish delight recipe will especially please those who are fasting, because it does not require milk, eggs or butter.

Cooking time: 1 hour + 5-6 hours chilling
Yield: 18 pieces *3.5cm

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 0.5 cup water for syrup
  • 0.5 cup starch
  • 1.5 cups water for starch paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or 2 tbsp. spoons of lemon juice
  • 100 grams of nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews to choose from)
  • flavoring agent or essence
  • pinch of food coloring
  • 0.25 cups of powdered sugar and starch for sprinkling the finished dessert

Cooking

First of all, we prepare the nuts - we fry and peel them, so that at the moment the Turkish delight is ready, we can quickly add them to the mixture. The easiest way to do this is in the oven: pour the nuts onto a baking sheet and brown at a temperature of 200 degrees for 10 minutes.

Then we proceed to the preparation of sugar syrup. We dissolve sugar in water (0.5 cups) in a saucepan with a thick bottom, add half the norm of citric acid (juice) there.

Put the pot on medium fire, bring to a boil.

Boil the syrup down to a solid ball test. To get a light delight, you should boil the syrup over the smallest fire, and for a caramel effect - over medium heat. This will take 5 minutes.

To check the readiness of the syrup, collect it a little in a teaspoon and lower it into a glass of cold water. This is the so-called hard ball test. When the syrup has completely cooled, it should be solid. You can also check with a cooking thermometer - focus on a temperature of 130 degrees - the most reliable way.

Set aside the finished syrup for Turkish Delight.

The next step is to mix starch with water (1.5 cups) and add the second half of citric acid or juice.

We put the container on a small fire and boil until the mass becomes very thick and translucent. This is an important point, the consistency of the future dessert depends on it. It took me about 20 minutes, but the time is relative - you may need a little less or more.

Carefully pour the sugar syrup into the starch paste.

Without removing the container from the stove, carefully knead the mass until a homogeneous viscous state.

Cook the mixture, stirring, for 20-25 minutes on the lowest heat, after which we introduce the dye, flavor and nuts.

We take a rectangular shape - you can use a metal tray or a baking dish - cover it with cling film and grease with a small amount of vegetable oil.
Pour the hot Turkish delight into the mold.

We send Turkish delight to cool for 5-6 hours, and even better, leave it alone for the night. When the dessert hardens well, it will become like rubber.

Densely sprinkle the work surface with a mixture of powdered sugar and starch (0.25 cups each), and then spread the finished Turkish delight on it.

Sprinkle layer on top powder with starch and cut it with a sharp knife into cubes of 3.5 cm.

We roll each square well on all sides.

We put Turkish delight in an airtight container - in this form it can be stored for 2 weeks. But most likely, the dessert will disperse much faster. Enjoy your meal!

Turkish delight: benefits and harms

Sweet happiness, so that's what you are ...

Nutritionists say that the benefits of Turkish delight are questionable. Judge for yourself: Turkish delight is the sweetness of such concentration, such amazing sweetness that it cannot be useful in any way. Too much sugar is bad. Sugar destroys teeth, knocks down the pancreas from the correct mode, and is contraindicated for diabetics. On the other hand, relaxing oriental sweetness activates the hormones of happiness and joy in the body, which is very desirable for health!

The benefits of Turkish Delight are obviously found in supplements such as nuts. The composition of Turkish delight often includes nuts, including almonds - an exceptional product in its composition and important for health. At the same time, Turkish delight is a high-calorie dessert, it is not recommended for people who decide to lose weight.

More about the pros: Turkish delight is one of the few desserts allowed for fasting, as well as those suffering from atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Since Turkish delight is a product, firstly, it is vegetarian and, secondly, it contains practically no fat (especially if the recipe is without nuts).

Conclusions? Decide for yourself what outweighs Turkish delight: benefit or harm. Probably, for different people and the conclusions will be different. Personally, I adhere, as it seems to me, to a rational approach: to deprive myself of a quality oriental delicacy there is no need, but even sweet happiness is good in moderation.

Perhaps the most famous oriental delicacy is Turkish delight, translated from Turkish it means “comfortable pieces”, in Arabic it means “sweetness for the throat”.

According to legend, Turkish delight was invented for the great Turkish sultan, who once broke his tooth on a hard candy and got angry at the confectioner.

The latter was forced overnight to come up with another soft treat. Another legend says that the sultan was very loving, and the sweet was invented as an exquisite preliminary treat for the beloved women of the sultan.

In contact with

In Turkey, Turkish delight, the photo of which is presented in our article, is a popular delicacy. To date, there is a huge variety of types of Turkish delight: walnut, fruit, honey, white, fig and others.

Traditionally, recipes contain corn starch, flour, nuts, sugar and a variety of fruit components - juice or berries. How many calories are in Turkish Delight?

Benefit and harm

Let's figure out what Turkish delight is, what it is made of (composition), in order to determine how much harm and benefit can be obtained by consuming it.

So, what is the use of Turkish Delight? The increased calorie content of Turkish delight does not mean that this sweetness should be classified as harmful products. Thanks to glucose, which is part of the composition, brain functions and cardiac activity are normalized, serotonin is produced - a hormone Have a good mood and high performance. Besides, glucose has a good effect on the general condition of hair, skin and nails.

In combination with cornstarch, glucose forms an immune-enhancing component. For the most part, the benefits depend on the flavor components that are traditionally part of Turkish delight: fruits are enriched with vitamins, and thanks to honey, digestion and blood quality improve.

Big share useful substances found in nuts found in Turkish delight. Nutrients are not destroyed during heat treatment and affect mental activity and the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Due to the sugar included in the recipe and the increased calorie content overuse Turkish delight can lead to diabetes, hypertension and obesity, therefore, people with chronic diseases or those leading a sedentary lifestyle should better refuse sweets. Plus, the delicacy spoils the enamel and can cause caries.

Particular care should be taken with fruit species Turkish delight while breastfeeding, most of them contain dyes and flavors. Citrus juices and honey can cause allergies in a baby if they enter his body with breast milk.


Many talk about the benefits and harms of Turkish Delight. classic look sweets consumed in small quantities will absolutely not harm, but it is better to introduce it into the diet gradually, watching for a possible allergic reaction. So that the freshness and quality of the product is not in doubt and you can get the most out of it, Turkish delight, recipes with photos of which you will find in the next section, it is better to cook at home on your own.

Turkish Delight: Recipes

Many people bring Turkish delight from Turkey for themselves and their families (the average price in Turkey is about 7 liras). But you can cook this delicacy at home. So, how to cook Turkish delight at home? There are many options for preparing this delicacy, below we will present step by step instructions to the most popular Turkish delight recipes, photos and videos are also presented below for a better understanding of the cooking process.

Apple

The recipe for Turkish Delight from apples is quite simple. We will need:

  • 120g. corn starch;
  • 50g. Sahara;
  • 50g. walnuts;
  • 4 apples;
  • coconut flakes and water.

First you need to prepare apple jam. To do this, a little water is poured into the saucepan, sugar is added. Peeled and core and cut apples are lowered into the syrup, where they languish a little. There are also added finely chopped walnuts.

Starch must be dissolved in cold water and poured into a boiling mass in a thin stream. All this time, the jam must be stirred until it becomes thick and transparent. This is the most difficult part of the recipe for apple Turkish delight - the sweetness will languish on the fire for at least an hour.


The bottom and edges of the form are covered with cling film, where the hot mass is laid out. After it has cooled, it must be placed in the refrigerator to harden. After 12 hours, Turkish delight can be taken out of the mold, cut into cubes and rolled in coconut flakes. As you can see, you can easily cook Turkish delight at home according to the recipe, and the video lesson will make this task easier:

Classical

To prepare classic Turkish Delight at home, you will need:

  • 800 ml. water;
  • 1 kg. Sahara;
  • 150g. starch;
  • 2 g of citric acid;
  • coconut flakes to taste.

Sugar and starch are added to heated water until completely dissolved and, with constant stirring, boiled for at least an hour. The resulting mass should be viscous and thick. This is the basis - white Turkish delight. Before it has cooled, you can add flavoring fillers, or you can leave classic version- cut the sweetness frozen in the form and roll in coconut flakes or powdered sugar.


Cooking a classic oriental sweet is not difficult, but it takes a lot of patience, diligence and time. This is the basic recipe for the classic Turkish Delight, which can be improved based on your taste preferences. The share of any additive should not be more than a third of the bulk. A more detailed recipe for Turkish Delight in the video below:

carrot

For Turkish delight from carrots you need:

  • 500 g carrots;
  • 200 g of starch;
  • 150 g of sugar;
  • 150 g walnuts;
  • half a lemon;
  • water;
  • coconut flakes;

Carrots need to be grated and put in a saucepan, where add sugar and a little water. The mass should languish over low heat for at least 10 minutes. After that, lemon zest and finely chopped nuts are added there.

Starch dissolved in a small amount of water is carefully poured into a boiling mass, after which it is boiled until thickened.
As in classic recipes, the resulting Turkish delight is laid out in a mold, cools down and left in the refrigerator for 12 hours until it hardens. After that, it can be cut into cubes and rolled in coconut flakes.


The main difficulty in preparing an oriental delicacy is the duration. Taking into account all the stages of preparation and cooling, it takes more than a day. If you were wondering how to make Turkish delight at home, then this video instruction is for you:

Storage

Now let's talk about how to store Turkish Delight. It is customary to store cooked Turkish delight wrapped in food paper, which will protect it from moisture, in a cool, dry place. Under such conditions, the shelf life of Turkish delight will be at least six months. Do not replace parchment with film or foil - they do not protect against moisture, so the sweetness will quickly deteriorate. Contact with air must also be avoided, so paper-wrapped Turkish delight is stored in a special container.

Already in the 19th century, oriental sweetness received great publicity throughout Europe after the Brussels Exhibition, where it won a gold medal. "Turkish Delight" - that's what the British called Turkish delight, who especially liked the delicacy at tea drinking.

This sweetness is better known in our country as Turkish delight, which, in principle, is not entirely correct. Turkish delight in the homeland of these sweets - in Syria and Turkey - is called only one of the types of delight, in the preparation of which flour is used. There is also lokum without flour, which is commonly called shaker-lokum.

We have Turkish delight - Turkish delight is very popular. Most often, on the shelves of shops or in the markets, it is sold in the form of chopped pieces, abundantly sprinkled with powdered sugar. By the way, it is for this look that this sweetness got its name: Turkish delight in translation from Turkish means “a convenient piece”. And it is Turkish delight that is a delicious souvenir, which is most often brought by tourists from sunny Turkish resorts. There it can be of any color, any taste and with a variety of fillers in the composition: oriental chefs know a lot about frills.

But with all the popularity, Turkish delight is a confectionery product. And some might even suspect that, like any sweet, Turkish delight can be unhealthy for all its virtues. So let's dot the "i".

Composition of delight

The main components of the composition that are present in all varieties of Turkish Delight without exception are starch, water and sugar. Slightly boiled in water, and then hardened starch provides a pleasant soft consistency of the product. The sugar gives it a sweet, desserty taste. These are the only ingredients in the composition of the so-called white delight. Any other species that differs in taste or color contains natural or synthetic dyes or in its composition.

Of course, various fruit juices have long been used to make Turkish delight. It was in them that starch and sugar were added, getting soft sweets with a natural taste. No less often sweets were filled with nuts or peanuts. In some cases, sugar in the composition was replaced with honey, in others, flour was added to the composition. Very refined, in addition, was considered Turkish delight with the addition of rose petals.

All these components that make up Turkish delight, mixed, cooked and specially aged for a certain time, determine the qualities and properties of this delicacy.

What is useful

Turkish delight is a sweet battery for the body. The simple sugar or honey contained in the treat is a rich source of energy for the muscles and brain. Starch is the same simple sugars, collected in long chains. In the body, it is also broken down with the release of large amounts of energy.

But even greater benefits of Turkish delight in fruit or nut varieties. But only in those cases when really natural juice is used for preparation, and not dyes and flavors diluted with water. And nuts, and juices, and rose petals - they all contain certain vitamins and minerals that will be very useful to the body. It should be noted that even in natural juices after cooking and concomitant heat treatment, part of the vitamins is destroyed. Nuts, in this respect, are more stable, therefore, Turkish delight with nuts can be considered the most useful.

And one more very important point: like any sweetness, Turkish delight lifts the mood. Moreover, for this there are not only psychological (this is always a small surprise!), But also purely physiological prerequisites. The sugars in Turkish delight cause the release of serotonin into the bloodstream, which, by acting on the nerve endings in the brain, leads to an increase in brain activity and improves mood. So, one side of the coin is visible to us well. Let's look at another one now.

Harm

With all its virtues, Turkish delight is sweet. The same sugars that make its taste pleasant and unforgettable can turn into big trouble in the case of unbridled passion in the use of even such a soft and unsweetened candy. First of all, Turkish delight should not be consumed by those who suffer from diabetes. An increase in blood sugar levels will occur immediately. At the same time, even a certain amount of starch, which is capable of slightly lowering this level after hyperglycemia, may not help.

If you overeat this oriental sweetness, it can affect the condition of your teeth. And although this is not such a “hard” sweetness as, say, or, the remains of powdered sugar in the mouth will do their job.

Even containing many easily digestible carbohydrates, Turkish delight alone will not be able to cause such severe metabolic disorders that can lead to obesity or diabetes. But together with other sweets - cakes, buns and chocolate - it will fully support this trend. Well, one cannot help but recall the today's habits of Turkish delight manufacturers to prepare it using different dyes and food additives. This sin is not only our, domestic producers. Sometimes even Turkey itself - the birthplace of delight - cannot boast of the absence of oriental sweets. And they, as you know, do not carry benefits to the body.

Therefore, it is difficult to make an unambiguous conclusion about the usefulness of "pieces of pleasure". The sweetness of Turkish Delight is a gastronomic pleasure. It cannot be eaten, like bread, in kilograms - then all its virtues will be lost and only harm will remain. But if you eat a little natural fruit or nut variety occasionally, savoring it and enjoying every bite, then it will definitely have a beneficial effect on both the emotional state and the health of the body as a whole.

Turkish Delight is one of the most exquisite and popular oriental sweets. This delicacy is still associated in the Middle East with heavenly pleasure and royal treats. The taste and aroma of Turkish Delight is as varied and refined as Eastern philosophy. This delicacy first appeared over 500 years ago. The history of its origin is no less interesting, as is the recipe for cooking.

A long time ago in Istanbul there lived a finicky ruler who sometimes could not please even the most skilled chefs. Knowing that Vladyka greatly loves to indulge himself with something sweet, quick chefs prepared extremely unusual delicacies for the Sultan day and night. However, the Turkish ruler rarely praised his culinary specialists and constantly demanded something new and very tasty from them. And once, a Turkish confectioner named Ali Muhyiddin Haji Bekir was lucky enough to really please the Sultan.

The resourceful Ali mixed sugar, water, starch, rose petal syrup, honey and crushed almonds, cooked the mixture in a pot, then cooled it and cut the sweet plates into small strips. He rolled each piece in powdered sugar and laid out a delicacy on a golden tray, after which he presented it to the lord.

Such a novelty brought the Sultan into an indescribable delight - after all, this sweet turned out to be not only incredibly tasty, but also unusually soft. This invention of the Turkish confectioner Ali received the name "Turkish Delight", which means "light pieces" in Turkic, and soon became very popular with the Turkish nobility. Lukum was kept in boxes like jewels, and some attributed to this delicacy a true magical origin. Gradually, more and more new recipes for royal treats began to appear: for the preparation of Turkish delight, ingredients such as pistachios and walnuts, various fruit juices, fresh fruits and chocolate. And at the beginning of the 18th century, another version of Turkish delight appeared, which was called "white splendor". Confectioners from the city of Afion decided to experiment and dilute the delicious mass for Turkish delight with melted cream. Even today, all representatives of this family are very popular, not only in the Middle East, but also in Western Europe.

What is Turkish Delight?

Turkish Delight- This is a Middle Eastern delicacy, which is made using a special technology from sugar and starch, and honey, syrup, dried fruits and nuts are used to give it a special taste. The sweet mass prepared for Turkish delight is infused for two days. Thanks to rose water, Turkish delight has a pinkish color and that exotic taste, which made this Turkish delicacy popular all over the world. Ready Turkish delight is stored so that there is no contact with air.

Today, as it is known, there are more than a hundred varieties of Turkish delight. Of course, you can buy them in stores, but you can also cook them yourself at home.

The recipe for this oriental delicacy is simple.

To do this, you need to take corn starch, crushed gelatin, powdered sugar and a filling of your choice - for example, walnut or hazelnut paste, or the zest of some fruit. Next, you should mix all the ingredients, add a little water and leave the mixture for a day so that it thickens. After that, the mixture is cut into small cubes and sprinkled with powdered sugar. That's all. Your delight home production ready!

Here is another Turkish Delight recipe

  • Pour into a dry pan:
  • cornstarch - 1 cup,
  • sugar - 1 cup,
  • cinnamon - 0.5 tsp,
  • a pinch of vanilla sugar
  • instant jelly for the cake - 1 sachet.
  • Mix all this thoroughly. Then you need to add 1.5 cups of water.

Then put this mixture on medium heat and, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula, bring to a thick consistency. As soon as the mass begins to thicken, the fire must be minimized, while adding 1/4 tsp. citric acid or lemon peel. After that, it is necessary to mix the mixture thoroughly until a homogeneous mass. The process itself takes about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, add chopped walnuts. We tamp the sweet mixture with the back of a spoon, which must be constantly moistened in water. Then this mass must be cooled, but not in the refrigerator. When the mixture is cold, the tray is turned over, after which it is cut into small squares with a knife. Each square must be dipped in starch. Next, the starch is shaken off, and only then sprinkled with powdered sugar. If you immediately roll in powdered sugar, then moisture will begin to stand out and the surface will become very sticky.