Your complete guide to Turkish delights

What is the Turkish delights - lokum?

Rahat Al-Halqum, or lokum which is known as Malban in some Arab countries, is a type of dessert made in the form of a jelly with different flavors of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts, or walnuts attached to the jelly; Traditional varieties are often diversified with rosewater, bergamot orange or lemon.

Most of the time, the lokum is covered with powdered sugar dust, or powdered sugar, and it can also be covered with coconut granules.

 The history of Turkish delight Lokum

Delight is one of the famous and popular desserts, and it is a Turkish dessert of origin, and it was first made in the year 1777, and as for its name in Turkey, it is lokum, while the Arabs called it halqoum, and it is known in the West as Turkish delight. Delight has been very popular among people for years, and it is still to this day, after it was previously one of the ornaments of the Ottoman kings and sultans, and it was previously made from honey and molasses only, but today it is prepared in a different way in order to be accessible to all groups. They are made from other ingredients that are cheaper and have a good taste as well.

According to the Haji Bekir Company, Bekir Effendi, named after the performance of the pilgrimage, moved to Constantinople from his hometown of Kastamoni and opened his sweet shop in the Bahçekapi district in 1777. He produced various types of dessertss and lokum, including a unique form of lokum made from starch and sugar. The family business, now in its fifth generation, still operates under the founder's name

Tim Richardson, a historian of dessertss, has questioned the popular attribution of Haji Bekir as the inventor of Turkish delight, writing that "specific names and dates are often mistakenly associated with the invention of particular dessertss, at least for commercial reasons". There are similar Arab and Persian recipes, using starch and sugar, which precede Baker by several centuries. The Oxford companion of the food mentions that despite the attribution of the invention to Bekir, there is no certain proof of that.

What are the types of Turkish delight?

It is well known and common that Turkish delight is not just one type, as it is many and differs according to the many and different tastes found on that land. We have, for example, lokum with hazelnuts, coconut, bird, pistachio and cream. There is also lokum with pomegranate flavor, fruit flavor, lemon, saffron, and finally chocolate and pomegranate with pistachios and walnuts and in addition to each. The previous flavors there are plain sweet that is free of colorings and nuts as well, all these flavors of lokum are present in Turkey, one by one.

What is the importance of lokum in Turkish society

Delight has a very important impact on Turkish society, as you will find it present in all dessert dishes and on all occasions, whether it is social in holidays, for example, religious or national, or in all parties, and the comfort of Delight is offered to everyone without exception, as it is suitable for all social levels, the Turkish state Large quantities of these lokum are produced, making them self-sufficient and exporting quantities of them to other countries. For example, the British state imports from the Turkish state five hundred and twenty tons of it, its price is approximately six hundred thousand US dollars. We conclude that it brings great benefit to the Turkish society. This economic benefit is in addition to all its previous benefits.

Health benefits of Turkish delight

You may think that Turkish delight increases weight because it is made of starch and sugar, which is true if you eat large quantities of it and you should eat it in moderation so as not to deprive your body of its health benefits, which are represented in the following points according to some of the most famous food producers

 It contains a small amount of fat, as the percentage of fat in one piece does not exceed 5%, and here we advise you to replace chocolate and any creamy desserts with healthy lokum.

Carbohydrates in the dessert activate the kidneys, and support them to get rid of accumulated toxins, so it is recommended for kidney patients to eat them in moderation to reduce kidney problems.

Glucose and starch in sweetener increase the strength of the body's immune system.

Sugar in lokum gives the body high levels of energy

Delight is used to relieve sore throats, and relieve symptoms of coughs and colds

Nutrients in Turkish Delight

As for the nutrients that are found in it, they range in different proportions between oil, protein and calcium. They also contain potassium and iron. Of course, all of these elements are present in very small proportions. Moreover, they contain fat due to the presence of various nuts inside.

Calories in Turkish Delight

The issue of calories varies from one type to another, for example, the cocoa sweetener contains approximately one hundred and twenty calories per piece, and if it was made with natural honey, it would be much less than the previous one, and its calories would not exceed twenty calories only, but in an average way, the average cube contains Sixty-five calories, so eating them must be within specific controls.

Turkish delight Preparation stages

The manufacture of lokum passes through several stages, after preparing the main ingredients represented by starch, sugar and various flavors such as rose water, saffron, and lemon, in addition to juices of some types of fruits. These stages can be summarized as follows:

Mix the starch with the sugar, then leave it for three hours until the mixture becomes firm.

Pour the mixture into specific molds and leave it for hours ranging from twelve to twenty-four hours.

Add different flavors and juices

 Delicious filling with different nuts such as: walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts

Sprinkle powdered sugar on it and shredded coconut.

How is Turkish delight served?

Food and desserts in Turkish cuisine have many forms of presentation. This also applies to bits. In addition to being served in a handkerchief, morsels are also served with regular, medium or sweet Turkish coffee.

The most famous maker of Turkish delight desserts

There are some lokum factories outside Turkey, but Turkey is famous for being the original home for the manufacture of lokum, and from there it spread to all parts of the world, and the following list will be your guide to the best places for lokum manufacturers in Turkey

 Hacibekir Delight:

It is one of the oldest shops in the manufacture and sale of sweet lokum, belonging to the descendants of Haji Bekir Effendi, the creator of lokum, from the fourth and fifth generation, who were able to reach the world with lokum, and became one of the most important exporters of lokum to many countries such as New Zealand, Malaysia, Norway, England, and the states USA, and of course the Middle East.

serkerci Ali Galip Delight:

Owned by Ali Ghalib Effendi, who started making lokum in 1910. He harnessed his seventeen years of experience in the dessertss industry to develop and manufacture lokum, and he excelled in it, and it became one of the most famous sweet shops in Izmir.

Cemil zade delights:

The beginnings of Jamilzada go back to 1883 in Istanbul, Turkey, and it is currently managed by the third generation, and it has four branches in Istanbul.

 Safranbolu Lokumcusu Turkish Delight Factory:

It is one of the relatively recent companies in the manufacture of lokum; Its beginnings were in 1977, and it relied in its manufacture on the use of organic materials such as organic food coloring, high-quality nuts, and dried fruits, and the reason for its fame in this field is that this company does not use any chemical preservatives, or chemical colorants, in its manufacture. Or industrial sweeteners, with a production capacity of about 2,000 kilograms of lokum per day.

 Ikbal Confectionery:

It started manufacturing lokum in 1922 and at the beginning of the twentieth century, and throughout its history, it tried to develop and diversify its trade, entering four commercial sectors: food, tourism, restaurants, and real estate.

Marmara Lokum Factory:

Its founder is Ali Juniri in 1930, who had the opportunity at an early age to work in the imperial court, and gain his experience in the manufacture of traditional lokum from skilled court chefs, and over the years of his work, extending to 15 years, he was able to prove his worth and skill in making lokum, and its products were That he opened his sweet lokum marmara shop, and his son Ahmed Junyeri entered the field of industry, and conveyed to him the secrets of the success of lokum, and the latter was able to develop the lokum industry and spread it to all regions of Turkey, by moving his shop to Istanbul in the spice bazaar, Mesir Karsisi, and over the past four hundred years it has reached Marmara Delight products to more than thirty countries, with a production capacity of more than 180 tons per month

 Ari Lokum's shop:

Founded by Hussein Karao Galan in 1978, and during its 38-year career, this company was able to reach the world by developing new flavors of lokum, and using modern technology in its manufacture.

 Koska Factory:

It was founded by Khalil Ibrahim Adel Dindar when he came to Istanbul in 1931, and opened it in the Koksa neighborhood, and his sons got involved with him in this industry, which began with the manufacture of halva, and the family inherited this trade until they were able to register Cosca as a trademark, and then they started building their factory in 1974 in Topkapi And then they started manufacturing Turkish delight along with halva.

Ozdilek Lokum Store:

It is one of the shops that depend on the traditional manual method of making lokum on a daily basis, and it has introduced many new flavors besides the original classic flavor.

Haci Serif Turkish Delight:

Founded by Haji Sharif in 1938 in Babadag, he was able to develop and expand his trade until it spread throughout Turkey with more than 41 branches.

Tafe Dessertss products:

The beginnings of this store were in 1929 in the city of Mardin with the tahini industry, and the family inherited this trade until Ibn Fahmi Tahinoglu moved it in 1956 to Istanbul, and his seven brothers joined him and collaborated to create their own brand Tavi, and in 2014 they opened a branch in Kocaeli .

Kevser Sekerleme Shop:

It was founded by Hussein Shen with a small area in the beginning, not exceeding 150 square meters, which he used to manufacture and produce traditional Turkish dessertss, including lokum, and was able to gain a foothold in the market with his experience and skill, which led to the expansion of his shop to occupy an area of 300 square meters in 1980.

Hazerbaba Turkish Delights Factory:

It is a family company specialized in manufacturing dessertss, which started its activity in 1888 in Elazig, eastern Turkey. A century after its establishment, its headquarters moved to Istanbul, and the company became dependent on modern technologies in the manufacture of dessertss and dessertss.

Top ten types of Turkish delight for tourists in Turkey

Delight of roses Pistachio Extra from Hafiz Mustafa 

Delight of figs and walnuts from Hafiz Mustafa

Delight with roasted pomegranate and pistachio from Hafiz Mustafa 

Delight with pomegranate and hazelnut from Hafiz Mustafa

Delight with pistachio from Hafiz Mustafa

Delight with pistachio and milk from Hafiz Mustafa

Delicious kiwi from Hafiz Mustafa

Sultani Delight with Walnuts and Pistachios from Hafiz Mustafa 

Assortment Turkish delight box from Hafiz Mustafa

Assortment lokum delights box from Hafiz Mustafa

Does Turkish Delight have any disadvantages or disadvantages?

Of course, it has damages. Nothing on this earth does not have any disadvantages or all of it is positive. Turkish delight has harmful effects that only affect some people, such as those who have heart diseases, or those who have high cholesterol or have excess fat in the body. In these cases, Turkish delight is considered harmful. For them and they should not eat a lot of them, it is enough for one piece, provided that it is without nuts, and since it contains sugars and starch, this leads to obesity in the event that you eat more of it, so you should eat it in moderation, that is, it does not exceed one piece at a time, in addition to it raises The rate of gout in the blood, so those who suffer from this problem should not eat a lot of it or eat it

It is accompanied by legumes, and there are those who advise drinking a warm drink after eating it, such as tea or natural herbs, in order to reduce the deposition of sugar in the blood and contribute to its burning.

Turkish delight is not limited to Turkey only, but is available in all countries of the world and has become global, but the point of spread was from Turkey with its delicious taste and energy that it gives to the bodies, and in addition to the amount of benefits it contains, it can be taken as a treatment if we like, and Turkish delight in particular is distinguished from others in abundance Its types, flavors, and disadvantages are few if we compare it to other types of dessertss.

Where to buy Turkish delight ?

Sweet Saray store, which specializes in luxury Turkish desserts, provides the finest types of Turkish delight from the largest industry in Turkey, and enables you to shop various types of luxurious Turkish delight from one place, it deliver to all countries of the worlds with express shipping