Turkish Delight

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 icing 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. In the production process soapwort may be used as an additive, serving as an emulsifier.

Origin

Food historian Reay Tannahill suggests that the Persian confection "ahbisa" (a sweet jelly) was the ancestor of Turkish "rahat loghoom", the long name for the sweet. [cite book
last = Tannahill
first = Reay
year = 1995
title = Food in History
edition = revised edition
publisher = Three Rivers Press
id = ISBN 0-517-88404-6 ] 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. [ [http://www.hacibekir.com.tr/eng/asayfa.html 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. [ [http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/list/Turkish+Delight!opendocument&keyword=Turkish+Delight#turkish+delight Awarded a Silver Medal at the Vienna Fair in 1873.] ]

Name

The Turkish word "lokum" may come from "lokma" in Turkish or لقوم "luqūm", 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 "raḥat al-ḥulqum" 'contentment of the throat'. [Maan Medina, "Arabic-English Dictionary", 1973] [Claudia Roden, "A Book of Middle Eastern Food" (Roden is Egyptian)] In Libya, for example, it is known as حلقوم ḥalqūm. In Bosnia, its name "rahatluk" clearly relates this etymology.

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

Turkish Delight should not be confused with Turkish Taffy, a packaged nougat candy sold in the United States from the 1940s through the 1980s.

Around the world

In North America, Turkish Delight is not especially common, though it forms the basic foundation of the Big Turk chocolate bar (Nestlé, Canada) and is also the basis for most of Liberty Orchards' line of confectionery, including "Aplets & Cotlets". Fry's Turkish Delight is produced by Cadbury in the United Kingdom and Australia. The interior jelly of jelly beans may trace its origin back to Turkish Delight. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=The History of Jelly Beans | date= | publisher=National Confectioners Association | url =http://www.candyusa.org/Candy/jellybeans.asp | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2009-09-24 | language = ]

It is known in Brazil as "Cacete" due to Lebanese immigration.

Armenian, Cypriot, Greek (called "λουκούμι", loukoumi), Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian (Albanian: "llokum", Bulgarian and Macedonian: "локум", "lokum"), Romanian (called "rahat"), 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 Southern Cyprus, Turkish Delight is marketed in English as Cyprus Delight.

In Ireland, a Turkish immigrant founded a confectionery company called "Hadji Bey et Cie" which made Turkish Delight until the 1990's.

A Japanese confection, Botan Rice Candy is also similar to Turkish Delight but instead of a powdered sugar coating, each candy is wrapped in edible rice paper to keep the candies from sticking together.

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. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Turks riled as Cyprus set to win EU trademark on Turkish Delight | date=December 13, 2007 | publisher=Associated Press | url =http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/13/europe/EU-GEN-Cyprus-Turkish-Delight.php | work =International Herald Tribune | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-14 | language = ]

In popular culture

Turkish Delight features as the addictive confection to which Edmund Pevensie succumbs in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis. Sales of Turkish Delight rose following the theatrical release of the film version of "". [ [http://www.nhpr.org/node/10325 Turkish Delight Sales Jump After Narnia Chronicles] ]

There are "gourmand" perfumes that use Loukoum or Loukhoum in their names and that are said to smell like the confection, as [http://www.basenotes.net/ID26126137.html Loukhoum] by Ava Luxe, [http://www.basenotes.net/ID26122627.html Loukhoum] by Keiko Mecheri and [http://www.basenotes.net/ID26121346.html Loukoum] by Serge Lutens.

ee also

*Big Turk
*Botan Rice Candy
*Fry's Turkish Delight
*Liberty Orchards Aplets & Cotlets

Related

*Chuckles
*Dots
*Good & Fruity
*Gumdrop
*Gummi bear
*Gummi Savers
*Fruit Gems
*Hot Tamales
*Jelly baby
*Jelly beans
*Jelly Belly
*Jujube
*Jujyfruits
*Mike and Ike
*Swedish Fish
*Wine gum

References

External links

* [http://www.turkish-delight.com/ Turkish Delight] , Bayco Confectionery
* [http://mideastfood.about.com/od/dessertssweetspastries/r/turkishdelight.htm/ Turkish Delight Recipe]