Turkish Sweets Indispensable To Try
"Tell me what do you eat, I’ll tell you who you are!," says the famous French writer Jean Anthelme Brillat. Food can be considered not only one of the physiological needs of man, but much more, food and its methods of preparation reflect the culture of peoples and the way it has evolved through time.
Each country has its own unique cuisine. For example, when we mention Pizza, Italy comes up immediately in our minds, Burgers takes us to America, and Koshari inevitably means Egypt. Similarly, if we want to talk about sweets, we cannot but mention the ancient Ottoman cuisine and the famous Turkish sweets.
The cultural Importance of Turkish Sweets
Turkish sweets are of interest to both Turks and tourists from outside the country alike and they are characterized by their diversity and catering to all tastes.
They are the result of the cultural and civilizational exchange of the peoples of the regions controlled by the Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years, in particular the Middle East, the Balkans and Central Asia.
Types of Traditional Turkish Sweets
The types of Turkish sweets are many and varied. We’re going to take you, in this article, on a quick trip to learn more about the most famous Turkish sweets and their ingredients.
Turkish Baklava
Baklava is at the forefront of the famous Turkish sweets, and the city of "Gaziantep" is considered one of the most famous Turkish City as regards to its quality and taste. Turkish baklava is several thin layers of dough stuffed with nuts and sweetened with sirup or honey.
Many types of baklava are available. Pistachio baklava is the most famous and demanded in Gaziantep due to the abundance of pistachios in the city. As for the state of Adiyaman, known as the land of almonds, it is famous for baklava with almonds, without forgetting the famous baklava with walnuts, which is preferred by many people.
Turkey's average daily production of baklava is estimated at 1,500 tons, and its production is doubled during Ramadan and religious holidays.
Speaking about the original homeland of baklava, one of the professors at the Department of history at the Turkish University of Sakarya stated that the origin of baklava is Turkish and it has been in Turkey for hundreds of years where it was called “Katmar Hamor”, without denying that it was slightly influenced by Arab culture due to geographical proximity
On the contrary, Muharram Topash, one of the owners of Turkish confectionery shops, confirmed that its origin dates back to the Middle East, especially from Syria, where it then moved to the Turkish south and from there to all parts of Turkey.
You can take cognizance of everything you would like to know about Turkish baklava and how to make it.
Types of Turkish Baklava
Turkish baklava is served stuffed with several varieties of delicious nuts such as pistachios, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, along with chocolate baklava and cold baklava or “Soğuk Baklava” as it is called by the Turks, which is soaked in milk and cocoa, without forgetting the diabetic baklava and gluten-free diet baklava.
Hafiz Mustafa and Karakoy Guloglu are two of the famous shops in Turkey in the field of Turkish baklava industry. Through the Sweet Saray Store, specialized in providing luxurious Turkish sweets, you can get all their products safely and reliably outside Turkey.
Turkish Delights
Turkish delight is one of the most famous Turkish sweets that are delicious gelatinous small pieces consisting of a mixture of water, starch, sugar and some flavorings, to which nuts and dried fruits are added as desired.
Some versions say that the first appearance of Turkish delights was in the fifteenth century, unlike some others that claim that the first to create it was the confectioner Haji Bekir when he moved from his hometown of Kastamonu to Istanbul in western Turkey in 1777, where he opened a shop and excelled in its manufacture
As a result, he was honored by the Ottoman Sultan at that time and was nicknamed “the palace confectioner”.
Types of Turkish Delights
- Pistachio Turkish delight
- Milk Turkish delight
- Chocolate Turkish delight
- Walnuts Turkish delight
- Pomegranate Turkish delight
- Mastic Turkish delight
- Saffron Turkish delight
- Roasted Turkish delight
- Rose-flavored Turkish delight
- Sparrow's Turkish delight
- Kiwi Turkish delight
- Cinnamon Turkish delight
- Lemon Turkish delight
- Plain Turkish delight
- Mint Turkish delight
- Mixed Turkish delight
- Orange Turkish delight
All these types and more of Turkey's delights you can get at your door step through the Sweet Saray Store, specialized in providing all kinds of luxurious Turkish sweets from the most prestigious confectionery stores in Turkey, foremost of which the renowned Hafez Mustafa’s. You can also have a look in our blog at the best Turkish delights.
Turkish Kunafe
Kunafe is one of the most delicious and famous types of traditional oriental sweets. It is also famous in the Balkans, Greece and Russia. It consists of dough made in the form of threads, to which margarine, sugar, some nuts, cottage cheese or cream are added. It is considered one of the most wanted sweets throughout the year in all seasons.
Its preparation is very frequent during the holy month of Ramadan. It can also be presented at all occasions, such as weddings, success parties and family meetings.
According to Al-Jazeera net, Knafeh was known for the first time in the Umayyad era, where the cooks of the Palestinian city of Nablus prepared it specially for Caliph Mua’wiya Ibn Abu Sufyan to celebrate his visit to the city.
It began to spread slowly, until it reached the city of Damascus through the Abaza family, and was called the Abaza Knafeh in Damascus, and then it was transferred centuries later to Istanbul and became known there as the Turkish Knafeh or Istanbul, but as we mentioned, the original homeland of the Knafeh is the city of Nablus in Palestine.
Regarding its types, there are many types of Knafeh and these are: Nabulsi Knafeh, Coarse Knafeh, Soft Knafeh, Rubbed Knafeh, Knafeh with cream, Knafeh with cheese, and Knafeh with nuts.
Trileçe Cake
“Tres leches” In Spanish, is a traditional cake that has its origins in Latin America. This cake is also considered popular in Central America, North America and many parts of the Caribbean, as well as in Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Some references interested in cuisines, say that the popularity of Latin series in Albania prompted local chefs to try them and from there it arrived to Turkey, and it became known as “Trileçe”
Trileçe is a soft milk cake, topped with caramel or berry sauce. Where it is prepared using goat, cow and buffalo milk. We have dedicated a full detailed article about Turkish Trileçe dessert for those who want to know about this delicious dessert.
Sütlaç Dessert
Rice or rice with milk pudding is a dessert found in various world cuisines. Among the many milk desserts in Turkish cuisine, the rice pudding or “Sütlaç” is considered one of the most popular and widespread dishes. Its main ingredients are: rice, milk, sugar, sometimes raisins and cinnamon, and some nuts, too.
The Most Famous Types of Turkish Sütlaç Dessert
- Rice with starch Sütlaç
- Mastic rice Sütlaç
- Lemon rice Sütlaç
- Rice with turmeric and walnuts Sütlaç
- Caramelized rice Sütlaç
- Creamy rice Sütlaç
- Coconut-vanilla Sütlaç
- Chocolate rice Sütlaç
- Orange rice Sütlaç
- Rice with dates Sütlaç
- Rice with figs Sütlaç
- Rice with Carrot Sütlaç
- Oven-baked rice Sütlaç
Turkish Revani Tatlisi Dessert
Rivani is one of the very popular Turkish desserts. It is said that it was prepared by the palace cooks to celebrate the conquest of Armenia and Yerevan in the Ottoman era and was called Rivani because of the victory in the Battle of Yerevan. It is a dessert in the form of a single-layer sponge cake with a yellowish tint. There are numerous many types of Rivani in terms of flavor out of which we mention the following:
- Walnuts Rivani
- Hazelnuts Rivani
- Coconut Rivani
- Apples Rivani
- Orange Rivani
- Lemon Rivini
- Strawberry Rivini
- Banana Rivani
- Figs Revani
- Apricot Rivani
- Pistachios Rivani
- Milk Rivani
Turkish Katmer Dessert
Katmer dessert is one of the most famous and delicious traditional Turkish sweets, in Gaziantep in particular, and Turkey in general. This dessert is prepared by folding the dough and baking it. It is usually decorated with pistachios, hazelnuts and cream. It is advisable to eat it in moderation, as it is a high-fat local delicacy.
Katmer sweets are widespread in several other countries, especially the countries of Central Asia.
Şekerpare Sweets
One of the most popular Turkish desserts after baklava. Sugar is cooked until it turns golden, and then soaked in an intense lemon solution, which makes it moist and tender “Şekerpare”. It is a classic dessert sold in most Turkish pastry shops, and tops the list of Turkish desserts in almost every restaurant.
Although it is a dessert of Turkish origin, its name goes back to Persian "şarr-būre”; meaning, a dessert made of dough and sugar.
This dessert can be prepared with flour and semolina and is very popular in Greece and Albania. It is eaten on various religious holidays and family celebrations. It is often served with Turkish coffee and tea.
Chicken Breast Pudding “Tavuk Göğsü”
Chicken breast pudding is a pudding made from grated chicken breasts. It is said that it was a dish served to the Ottoman sultans in the Topkapi Palace, and it is still one of the favorite dishes of the Turks up to date.
It has long been believed that this recipe passed from Byzantine cuisine to its Ottoman counterpart. Tales indicate the existence of Arabic dishes similar to chicken pudding in the tenth century and it is likely that the source of chicken breasts in Turkish cuisine comes from Arabic origin.
Chicken breast is cooked by boiling it and dividing it into tiny fibers until smooth. After that, the meat powder is mixed with milk, sugar, rice and other substances, such as cinnamon, for example. The result is a very tasty thick dessert that we recommend trying.
Turkish Pumpkin Dessert “Kabak Tatlısı”
Pumpkin dessert is one of the famous traditional Turkish sweets, which is prepared in winter. It is made by cooking peeled pumpkin, after cutting it.
Milk can also be added as well. The dish is garnished with chopped walnuts, tahini and cream. Sakarya takes the first place in the manufacture of this type of sweets at the level of Turkey.
Order Turkish sweets online from Turkey
This was a list of the ten most popular types of Turkish sweets that it would be nice to try when you visit Turkey. You can also check out our Turkish sweets encyclopedia blog to learn more about Turkey's distinctive sweets.
Well, what if you like it, you are excited to taste it, but you have no plans to visit Turkey soon?!! Do not worry now; through the Sweet Saray Store, specialized in providing luxurious Turkish sweets, you are able to taste the most delicious Turkish sweets from baklava and luxurious Turkish delights. Just shop from our store and your order will be at your door steps within a few days.
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