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Post Info TOPIC: Turkish Delight


Grand Poobah

    



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Turkish Delight


Anyone ever have this??? its so yummy its addictive! I love the rose and almond ones.

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.

Food historian Reay Tannahill suggests that the Persian confection ahbisa (a sweet jelly) was the ancestor of Turkish rahat lokum, the long name for the sweet.[1] According to the Ali Muhiddin Hac 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 Hac Bekir company during the 19th century.[2]

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.[3]


[edit] Name
The Turkish word lokum may come from lokma in Turkish or lukuum, the Arabic plural of luqma(t) 'morsel' or 'mouthful'.[4] Alternatively, it may have derived from Ottoman rahat hulkum or Arabic rahat al-hulkum 'contentment of the throat'.[5][6] In Libya, for example, it is known as algm. In Bosnia, its name "rahatluk" clearly relates this etymology.

In English, it was formerly called "lumps of delight".[7]

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


[edit] Around the world
In North America, Turkish Delight is not especially common, but it forms the basic foundation of the Big Turk and Fry's Turkish Delight chocolate bars. It is also the basis for most of Liberty Orchards' line of confectionery, including Aplets & Cotlets. It is known in Brazil (called rahat) due to Lebanese immigration.

Armenian, Cypriot, Greek (called "", loukoumi), Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian (Albanian: "llokum", Bulgarian and Macedonian: "", lokum), Romanian (called "rahat"), Russia as well as in some former Yugoslav states like Bosnia and Herzegovina (called "rahat lokum"), or Serbia ("", ratluk), Iranian and other Middle Eastern cuisines also have sweets similar to Turkish delight. In Cyprus, Turkish Delight is marketed in English as Cyprus Delight.


[edit] 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.[8]


[edit] 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 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[9]

The song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon and perhaps most famously covered by They Might Be Giants, mentions "now it's Turkish delight, on a moonlit night".

In an episode of The Powerpuff Girls, the Mayor is bribed to hand over ownership of the city. He refuses all initial cash offers, but gives in to a room full of Turkish Delight.

Madonna's 2008 album Hard Candy has a track called "Candy Shop" with the lyrics "I've got Turkish delight baby and so much more."



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I love Turkish Delight! My friend Don brought some back from his trip to Turkey - green apple flavored. hungry.gif

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Grand Poobah

    



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I really like the almond and rose flavored!! lick.gif Years ago I really liked the Rosewater Lemonaide at Abu's of Jerusalam. Went back maybe 2 yrs ago and tried it and couldn't stand it!!! I thought that was it for me liking anything rose flavored, but the rose flavored turkish delight is really YUMO! lick.gif

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"And like Web, I enjoy throwing JR under the bus.  Problem is, it's usually under the special bus that I ride every day". Ghostdancer 12-18-09


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I like it too. I wish the rose flavored could be bought by itself instead of with the lemon and mint. Pistacchio is supposed to be yummy, too. I like the fact that it's in little bite size portions as well.

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Ghost In The Machine

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I don't think I've ever seen this before.  The ones that have nuts pieces sound like it would be good. 

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Grand Poobah

    



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years ago when I (omg decades ago.....bleh.gif) decades ago when I worked at the hardware store, the meatmarket next door closed. they just let all the meat rot. it was terrible. but after that got cleaned up (by men in oxygen masks and hazard suits), it became a little arab mart. and they had both rosewater in bottles and turkish delight. I bought some rosewater to make the rosewater lemonaide, and it was pretty good. works better with pink lemonaide, I feel, tho I;m pretty sure Abu's uses regular er...yellowconfused.gif lemonaide.
Had I known what turkish delight was back then, I woulda got some way back when. I love discovering new stuff tho, even if a bit late.smile.gif

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"And like Web, I enjoy throwing JR under the bus.  Problem is, it's usually under the special bus that I ride every day". Ghostdancer 12-18-09
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