Turkish delight, or lokum () is a family of confectionery based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. Other common flavors include cinnamon and Mentha. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging.
History
Turkish claims
According to the , Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir moved to
Constantinople from his hometown
Kastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapı in 1777. He produced various kinds of candies and
lokum, later including a unique form of
lokum made with starch and sugar.
["Haci Bekir, Turkey's Oldest Company, Has Been Sweetening the Mouth for 242 Years". Hacı Bekir. 18 March 2022.]
Tim Richardson, a historian of sweets, has questioned the popular attribution of the invention of Turkish delight to Hacı Bekir, writing that "specific names and dates are often erroneously associated with the invention of particular sweets, not least for commercial reasons".
[Richardson, Tim (2003). Sweets, a History of Temptation. London: Bantam Press. p. 51. .] Similar Arab and
Persian language recipes, including the use of starch and sugar, predate Bekir by several centuries.
[Brown, Jonathan (5 December 2005). "The Lion, the Witch & the Turkish Delight". The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 December 2005.] The Oxford Companion to Food states that although Bekir is often credited with the invention, there is no real evidence for it.
[Davidson, Alan (21 August 2014). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. – via Google Books.]
Iranian claims
Some sources suggest that similar features were also present in Arab and Persian cuisines. In particular, there are sources claiming that it was invented during the
Safavid Iran period.
Name
The Turkish names lokma and lokum are derived from the Arabic word luqma(t) (لُقْمَة) and its plural luqam (لُقَم) meaning 'morsel' and 'mouthful'
[Diran Kélékian, Dictionnaire Turc–Français (Ottoman Turkish), 1911] and the alternative Ottoman Turkish name, rahat-ul hulküm,
[James Redhouse, A Turkish and English Dictionary, 1856, p.707.] was an Arabic formulation, rāḥat al-hulqūm (رَاحَةُ ٱلْحُلْقُوم), meaning 'comfort of the throat', which remains the name in formal Arabic.
[Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 1966, p.365]
In Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Tunisia it is known as ḥalqūm, while in Kuwait it is called كبده الفرس kabdat alfaras; in Egypt it is called malban (ملبن ) or ʕagameyya, and in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria rāḥa (راحة).
Although it is called "malban" in some regions, "malban" may also refer to other similar desserts, such as a type of grape pestil made with semolina and grape juice popular in the Levant,
Its name in various Eastern European languages comes from Ottoman Turkish lokum (لوقوم) or rahat-ul hulküm. Its name in Greek language, λουκούμι (loukoumi) shares a similar etymology with the modern Turkish and it is marketed as Greek Delight. In Cyprus, where the dessert has protected geographical indication (PGI),[Colin Turner, A Thematic Dictionary of Modern Persian, 2004] In the Indian subcontinent, a variant of it is known as Karachi halwa or Bombay halwa. In Hungary it is called szultán kenyér (Sultan's bread).
In English, it was formerly alternatively known as "lumps of delight".
Around the world
Europe
Armenia
In
Armenia, Turkish delight is known as lokhum (լոխում) and is used for various sweets. For example It is used to make cigarette cookies, (Armenian: սիգարետ թխվածքաբլիթներ) which are soft cookies that are rolled into the form of a cigarette. They are filled with either
Lokum, a mixture of sugar,
cardamom, and walnuts, or a combination of both. The dough mainly consists of
matzoon, butter, eggs, and flour. When finished the pastry gets dusted with
powdered sugar.
[Bodic, Slavka (31 May 2020). Ultimate Armenian Cookbook. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. .]
Greece and Cyprus
In Greece, Turkish delight, known as
loukoumi (λουκούμι), has been a popular delicacy since the 19th century or earlier, famously produced in the city of
Patras (Patrina loukoumia) as well as on the island of
Syros and the northern Greek cities
Thessaloniki,
Serres and
Komotini but elsewhere as well. Loukoumi is a common traditional treat, routinely served instead of biscuits along with coffee. In addition to the common rosewater and bergamot varieties, mastic-flavored loukoumi is available and very popular. Another sweet, similar to loukoumi, that is made exclusively in the town of Serres, is Akanés.
Cyprus is the only country that has a protected geographical indication (PGI) for this product: Loukoumi made in
Yeroskipou is called Λουκούμι Γεροσκήπου (
loukoumi geroskipou).
Bulgaria
In
, Turkish delight is known as lokum (локум) and enjoys some popularity.
Romania
In Romania, Turkish delight is called rahat and it is eaten as is or is added in many Romanian cakes called
cornulețe,
cozonac or
salam de biscuiţi.
Serbia
In Serbia it is commonly known as
ratluk and as well served along tea and coffee.
Former Ottoman territories in the Balkans
Turkish delight was introduced to European portions of the Ottoman Empire under its rule and has remained popular. Today it is commonly consumed with coffee. Rosewater and walnut are the most common flavorings.
Ireland, the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries
Fry's Turkish Delight, created in 1914,
is marketed by
Cadbury in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. It is rosewater-flavored, and covered on all sides in milk chocolate. UK production moved to Poland in 2010.
[Bouckley, Ben. (30 July 2010). "Final UK-made Cadbury Crunchie bars from September". Retrieved 12 June 2015.] Hadji Bey was an Armenian emigrant to Ireland who in 1902 set up
Hadji Bey – still in existence – to produce rahat lokoum for the Irish and later UK markets.
North America
In Canada, the
Big Turk chocolate bar made by Nestlé consists of dark magenta Turkish Delight coated in milk chocolate.
India/Pakistan
In Karachi, now in Pakistan, the "Karachi halwa" was made with corn flour and ghee and became quite popular. It is said to have been developed by
Chandu Halwai which later relocated to Bombay (Mumbai) after the partition in 1947.
[ History halwa, Paromita Vohra, Mid-Day, 22 November,2020] Some of the confectioners termed it Bombay Halwa to avoid its connection with a Pakistani city.
[ The History of Bombay Halwa, 11/1/2021] In the year 1896, a confectioner Giridhar Mavji who ran a shop Joshi Budhakaka Mahim Halwawala attempted to replace the starch with wheat flour and thus invented Mahim halwa which consists of flat sheets.
[ A sweet invention: Tracing the history of one of Mumbai's most famous halwas and its creator, Yogessh Pawar, DNA, Dec 05, 2017]
Related products
Turkish delight was an early precursor to the
jelly bean, inspiring its gummy interior.
In popular culture
Turkish delight features as the enchanted confection the
White Witch uses to gain the loyalty of
Edmund Pevensie in
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by C. S. Lewis.
Sales of Turkish delight rose following the theatrical release of the 2005 film
.
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Cultural significance
Turkish delight holds deep cultural significance in Greece, Turkey, Iran, and across the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It symbolizes hospitality, generosity, and celebration. In Turkey, lokum is a staple during festive occasions such as weddings, where it symbolizes sweetness and prosperity in the couples' life together.
Similarly, during religious festivals like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, it is exchanged as gifts among family and friends. In Greece, loukoumi is a symbol of hospitality and refinement.
It is commonly served to guests alongside tea or coffee, representing warmth and respect for visitors.
Lokum's sweet taste is often seen as a metaphor for the sweetness of life and relationships, making it a beloved symbol of joy and togetherness.
See also
External links
