I have something of a sweet tooth and adore anything sweet and sugary. Turkey didn’t disappoint when it came to sweet treats and confectionery, some of it too sweet even for me, and that’s a first…
The Spice Bazaar in Istanbul had stalls piled high with endless varieties of Turkish sweets and sugary scrumptiousness.
All sorts of varieties sold by this stall (below) note the Turkish Viagra right in the middle – also seen elsewhere labelled Ottoman Aphrodisiac!
Turkish Delight
Lokum, to use it’s Turkish name, has been produced since the 16th century and it’s basically made of solidified sugar and pectin.
Turkish Delight in Turkey is firmer than I’ve had in the UK, slightly more chewy and much subtler. As well as the lemon and rosewater flavours there are dozens of variations on a theme; pistachio, almond, walnut, chocolate, ginger, clove and coconut to name but a few.
My particular favourite was pomegranate with pistachios.
Turkish sweet treats and Turkish Delight in particular are some of the best things to buy in Turkey.
Baklava
Baklava is a highly syrupy pastry made with layers of phyllo (filo) pastry, chopped nuts, syrup, and cut into cubes. It comes with a variety of luscious fillings, such as pistachio, hazelnuts and almonds. There’s also Kunefe, a ‘shredded wheat’ variety, of Baklava which looks like little bird nests or rolls stuffed with nuts and other goodies. Are your fillings screaming yet?
There are many confectioners in The Sultanahmet where you can try different varieties of Turkish Delight before having a box made up of favourites.
Prices ranged from 38TL – 68TL per kilo and boxes could be bought in various sizes from a quarter to 1 kilo. And, in case you’re wondering, they did all make it home to friends and family!
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Suzanne Jones is a full-time travel blogger and writer at The Travelbunny which she started in 2011 during her time as a professional travel planner. Suzanne enjoys exploring new destinations, culinary encounters and the outdoors. When not travelling or writing about her adventures you’ll most likely find her, camera in hand, enjoying coastal walks in Sussex.
Suzanne also runs Hello Sussex a website which showcases the best of East & West Sussex. Read more about Suzanne.
mytube
Friday 27th of February 2015
Nice I like the baklava :)_
Suzanne Jones
Saturday 28th of February 2015
The Baklava is delish - I really like the Turkish Delight too ;)
The Fundamental Alchemist
Tuesday 24th of September 2013
Love. This. Post. You totally hooked me with that delicious featured image!
Suzanne Jones
Sunday 27th of September 2015
They tasted as good as they looked!
Suzanne Courtney
Tuesday 24th of September 2013
Don't they look delicious! Thanks for dropping by :)
meghasarin
Wednesday 28th of August 2013
WOW! I so wanna go here one day…
love http://www.meghasarin.com
Suzanne Courtney
Thursday 29th of August 2013
I hope you do - and soon!
Sand In My Suitcase
Tuesday 13th of August 2013
We luved all the baklava on our recent visit to Turkey! Come to think of it, we luved all the food. Turkish cuisine must be one of the best in the world... You can read a little about our sultan feasts in our story on "Turkish Delight: Part I - Istanbul" http://www.sandinmysuitcase.com/turkish-delight-bodrum/
Suzanne Courtney
Tuesday 13th of August 2013
The food is amazing in Turkey - in fact it's an amazing country. So many unusual sites to visit - and then there's Istanbul, Wow!
Turkeywithstuffin
Monday 5th of August 2013
Sugar rush indeed and that's without the huge spoonfuls they put in their tiny glasses of cay!! - Şeker (sugar) Bayram coming up in a few days - You and your sweet tooth would love it here then :-)
Suzanne Courtney
Monday 5th of August 2013
Wow that would be suger overload after all that fasting - When I had cay in Turkey I asked for it without sugar and more than a few eyebrows were raised!