Turkish delight: the treat served with Turkish coffee
Turkish delight is a cube-shaped treat that looks like sweets. It is often served as a snack with tea, rather like our biscuits. Some of you may remember them from the book “Chronicles of Narnia”, or the silver screen version where they were the treats used by the White Witch to corrupt young Edmund Pevensie.
With a long history dating back to the 15th century, Turkish delight is one of the typical recipes of Turkey. It is also very popular in the United Kingdom, and it was from there that it spread throughout Europe in the 19th century under the name ‘Turkish Delight’. Let’s learn how to make this soft, tasty treat at home: the recipe is easy and quick to make.
How to make home-made Turkish delight
According to tradition, Turkish delight should be served in many different colours. This definitely makes it look fantastic, especially to children, but it is probably best to opt for making just one colour on your first attempt.
Ingredients
- 850 gr fine granulated sugar.
- 130 gr corn starch.
- 1 litre water.
- 3 tbsp powdered jelly
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp rose essence
- 1 tbsp cream of tartar.
- 1 tsp red food colouring.
- Icing sugar, as required.
- Vegetable oil for brushing over the top, as required.
Preparation
- Start by dissolving the sugar in half a litre of water, leaving it to heat without stirring until it reaches 120°. Then, add the lemon juice and begin stirring.
- In the meantime, place the corn starch, jelly, and cream of tartar in another pot. Add the water little by little and mix until the mixture is firm. Then add the remaining water and leave on a medium heat for two/three minutes, continuing to stir.
- Now, it is time to add the sugar syrup to the jelly and corn starch mixture. Blend all the ingredients together, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Keep the heat on minimum and leave for about half an hour, or until the mixture reaches 110°.
- Now add the rose essence and powdered food colouring, continuing to stir. Transfer the mixture onto a square baking tray lined with baking paper and brushed with some oil. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, put the tray in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
- When the time is up, grease a knife with some oil and cut the slab of Turkish delight into squares of about 3 or 4 cm; then sprinkle with icing sugar. Your Turkish delight is ready to serve and will definitely be well worth the wait!
Turkish delight: tips and variants.
Turkish delight is already delicious as it is, but we also have a few ideas for making even tastier versions! Chopped nuts, for instance: if you like, you can add almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts to the rose essence and food colouring mixture.
You could also replace the icing sugar with coconut flour, and use different food colourings, as we mentioned before, to make it look as good as it tastes.
For an exotic break, serve your Turkish delight with a Türk Kahvesi: discover how to make a true Turkish coffee at home, an ancient speciality with legendary benefits.
