Why and How Turkish Delight is Made
Turkish Delight is a type of dessert that has become a brand in every corner of the world. It is known that Turkish Delight, which has gained fame in many countries from Europe to America, is also the origin of jelly, which is consumed in many Western countries.
Ingredients Used in Making Turkish Delight
The ingredients used in making Turkish Delight are listed as follows;
- Water
- Sugar
- Starch
- Citric Acid
- Food Coloring
- Aroma
Stages of Making Turkish Delight
Although there are many anecdotes today about how Turkish Delight is made, the best-known stages of making lokum are as follows;
- Sugar is added to the determined amount of water and boiled until it completely dissolves in the water. Then, citric acid and starch are taken into a separate container and left to stand until they form a complete solution.
- After this process, the sugar water is mixed with the starch-citric acid solution and left to simmer over low heat for a while.
- The mixture, boiled until it becomes fluid, is poured into iron containers and left to stand for 18-22 hours.
- Finally, the prepared Turkish delights are shaped, packaged, and made ready for consumption.
Types of Turkish Delight
Since every kind of flavor suits lokum, many flavors and aromas from Turkey are used in Turkish Delight. Especially in our country, which has different flavors and palates in each of its regions, lokums are flavored with the local flavors of that region.
Some of these are;
Hazelnut Turkish Delight in the Black Sea region and especially around Giresun, Rose Turkish Delight in Isparta and its surroundings, Saffron Turkish Delight in Karabük and its surroundings, Pistachio Turkish Delight in Gaziantep and its surroundings, and in all our other provinces, many types of lokum such as chocolate, pomegranate, walnut, orange, coffee, coconut, and fruit are produced according to palate preferences. Due to its softening properties, it is good for throat and tonsil inflammation. Applied to wounds, boils, and many skin diseases, lokum helps heal these diseases thanks to the starch and citric acid solution it contains. It is good for kidney diseases. Lokum is a natural food. However, even though it is natural, due to the starch, sugar, and carbohydrates it contains, it can be harmful to the body if consumed in excess. Lokum consumed in excess leads to unhealthy weight gain. Also, due to the sugar it contains, excessive lokum consumption can lead to tooth decay. Although its harms are less compared to other types of desserts, consuming too much is harmful and should be consumed in moderation.
