History of Turkish Delight ( Lokum )
Delight, Turkish Delight, History of Turkish Delight, Turkish recipes, Turkish foods, Turkish culture
History of Turkish Delight
As expected, Turkish Delight originated in Turkey, which is still very much one of the most popular sweets eaten. Turkish Delight has been around since the fifteenth century, and there are several stories of how Turkish Delight was invented originally. One story is that there was once a sultan of Turkey, which had a large harem. The ladies of the harem were always fighting and the sultan was tired of him, so he came up with an ingenious plan. Court ordered his confectioner to reach a sweet that was so delicious that the women of his harem and discuss his peace would reign throughout the palace. The plan worked admirably, and Sultan’s harem ladies tired of the wonderful Turkish Delight again and put an end to their disputes.
Another story about the origins of Turkish Delight is that the candy was created by a baker named Bekir Effendi. Bekir was a small village in the mountains of Anatolia and moved to Istanbul to open a candy store in 1776. Bekir was also known as Haci Bekir after completing their hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Bekir was a very creative candy maker and one of the novelty candy produced in his kitchen was Turkish Delight. It is believed that the original Turkish Delight was based on an ancient Anatolia was sweet with honey or grape syrup and mixed with flour and water. Word spread about his incredible all Istanbul Turkish Delight and pieces of Turkish Delight Shopping wrapped in a lace handkerchief became one of the fashionable things to do. Finally, the Sultan came to hear of the new sweet Bekir had created and was so pleased to be awarded a Medal of Honor Bekir Turkish Delight and soon to be enjoyed over the royal court. Bekir Effendi confectionery shop still stands today in Istanbul and continues to sell their delicious Turkish delights. Haci Bekir Confectionery is the oldest Turkish company still operating in its original location. The company has expanded into a worldwide company and now has representative companies in the U.S., Britain, Japan, France, Egypt and South Africa.
Turkish Delight goes global
Turkish Delight The term was coined by a British traveler in the nineteenth century was the first Westerner to sample the coffee shop and send something home in the UK because he liked both. Turkish Delight soon became so popular in Europe and America as it was in Turkey and was enjoyed by very famous people. The sticky candy was a favorite of Pablo Picasso, both Napoleon and Winston Churchill had a preference for Turkish Delight filled with pistachios.
Turkish Delight has also been adapted for incorporation in chocolate bars. In the UK a slab of Turkish Delight rose water is covered with milk chocolate to Fry’s Turkish Delight. Fry’s Turkish Delight was first launched in 1914 when it was manufactured by JS Fry & Sons. It is now manufactured by Cadbury and has been immortalized for ‘Full of Eastern Promise’ advertising slogan. Cadbury also produce milk chocolate bars increased Turkish delight covered under the brand name of Cadbury Dairy Milk. In the United States, Turkish Delight is the filling of the chocolate bar Grand Turk.
Delight, Turkish Delight, History of Turkish Delight, Turkish recipes, Turkish foods, Turkish culture
Turkish Delight in the literature and on stage
The most famous literary reference to Turkish Delight is in the fantasy novel for children of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe “by CS Lewis. In the novel, the young Edmund Pevensie is seduced into betraying his brother and sisters to be fed with Turkish Delight magic by the evil White Witch, nearly taking the kingdom of Narnia to be locked in winter ice forever. Sales of Turkish Delight increased significantly after the release of the film adaptation of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe “in 2005. Turkish Delight is the theme of ‘Rahadlakum’ the song from the Broadway musical “Kismet.”
So if Turkish Delight is one of their favorite treats, you should be able to buy at a store near you. If not, there are a wide range of Turkish delights that can be purchased online. Or if you have a friend or family member to travel to Turkey, why not ask them to bring some of the countries where the recipe was born?
Read: What is the Turkish Delight
