{Royal Obsessions} | Turkish Delight

The Turks are famous for their sweet treats but nothing is as quintessentially Turkish as Turkish Delight (known as ‘lokum’ in Turkey). On my recent trip to Istanbul we were greeted with the candy as we boarded our Turkish Airlines flight and when we arrived at the hotels. In the 10 days I was in Istanbul I’m pretty sure I consumed over a kilogram of the candy. Needless to say I’m pretty obsessed!

Lokum means morsel or mouthful but can also come from the Arabic phrase “rahat-al-hulqum” which means “comfort of the throat”.

Turkish Delight or lokum is said (although unconfirmed) to be the invention of confectioner Bekir Effendi, affectionately known as Haçi Bekir. He lived in a small Anatolian mountain town and moved to Istanbul in 1776 where he set up a sweet shop. All the candy available at the time was very hard in texture so it was only a matter of time before the soft, chewy lokum found its way to the royals.  Haçi Bekir’s business still stands today and you can find it on Hamdiye Caddesi near the New Mosque. I popped in on my visit and was pleased to be told that his descendants are still very much involved in the business.

In the 19^th century an unknown Briton who travelled to Istanbul fell in love with the sweet and reportedly shipped cases of it back to Britain under the name ‘Turkish Delight’. The candy soon gained status as a major delicacy in Europe amongst the high society of the time. It was common for upper class socialites to gift each other Turkish Delight wrapped in silk and lace handkerchiefs. (Girls, we should bring back this tradition!)

Turkish Delight is made from starch and sugar which is formed into a gel. It can be flavoured with rosewater (the most common), mastic, lemon or other fruit like pomegranate and orange and filled with dates, nuts and dried fruit. It is then dusted with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Turkish Delight contains no gelatine. The sticky, jelly like texture is created by the boiling of the starch. If you are purchasing Turkish Delight or you’d like to try a recipe do check the ingredients and make sure that it doesn’t contain gelatine else it won’t be the real deal.

Turkish Delight is not overpoweringly sugary. It should have the perfect amount of sweetness and you should be able to distinctly taste the delicate flavours. It is usually eaten alone (in abundant, almost illegal amounts) but it the perfect accompaniment for a strong cup of Turkish coffee.  

My favourite one has pistachios in it but I also love the plain rose and lemon versions.

I brought home some Turkish Delight from the famed Hafiz Mustafa which is one of the oldest confectioners in Istanbul.

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

{Royal Obsessions} | 1701 Nougat

Hi lovelies! Today I’m starting a new little piece called Royal Obsessions. In this piece I will tell you about all the things I am currently obsessed with.

My latest obsession is 1701 nougat because nougat is one of my favourite sweet treats. Although nougat is commonly known as a French confection, it actually originated in Cremona, Italy at the wedding feast of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza! Further research even suggests that it could have originated in the Middle East where it is still eaten and given as a gift. Fine nougat is made with roasted seeds or nuts which are folded into a paste of honey, sugar and egg whites. Despite the use of two sweet ingredients, the candy should not be excessively sweet. It should be pleasant with a delicate honey flavour. The texture must be soft and almost like a marshmallow but should still hold together.

Image by Layla Shaik Photography x Princess of Jozi

The name 1701 relates to the year that nougat became famous in Montelimar, France. The business began in 2009 by owner Nick’s mother Lianne. It was a gingerbread-man for Lianne Scher's little daughter’s lunch box that culminated in her having an own label of ginger biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread, Florentines and crunchies and then nougat. Once Nick graduated with a BA in Brand Building and Management he decided to build a brand around his mother’s nougat. 1701 prides itself on being “handmade the French way”. The brand sticks to the basic French recipe, using fresh egg whites, good quality honey and roasted nuts. There are no added stabilizers, preservatives, thickeners or gelatine. This process means that the sweets don’t look uniform but for me this just adds to the charm of the brand. The nougat comes in 2 variants; roasted macadamia and roasted almond.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m extremely fussy about my nougat. I can confidently say that 1701 nougat is heavenly! It’s really soft and melty, the nuts are perfectly roasted and it has that distinct honey flavour with just the right amount of sweetness. The sweets are light and airy and don’t make you feel too guilty after eating more than a few ;) Another thing that impresses me about 1701 is the attention to detail when it comes to packaging. The boxes are pastel and gold and are so pretty! They make the perfect gifts! (My birthday is next month! *hint)

You can find 1701 products online at www.1701.co.za or at the following stockists.

- Broadacres Super Spar

- Hobart Road Super Spar

- Ferndale Super Spar

- Country Meat Fourways & Bryanston

- The Jungle (Jan Smuts Avenue)

- Cottage Flowers Hyde Park Shopping Centre

- Three Mary’s (44 Stanley Avenue)

- Galleon Pharmacy Hyde Park Shopping Centre

- Craighall Spar

- Monument Park Super Spar

- Thrupps

I will update the list as it grows.

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox