|
In Turkey, desserts are a serious matter. So much so, in fact, that Turks celebrate them annually with a "Sugar Holiday" or "Festival of Sweets" for three and one-half days to mark the end of Ramadan. And the assortment of confections is truly astounding. Turkey's rich dessert culture - pun absolutely intended - has its roots in the Ottoman Empire, from which it was sprung. The expression "let us eat sweetly and speak sweetly" means that desserts carry the cultural weight of good will and celebration, and should be shared and enjoyed as a gesture of community and harmony. Three distinct categories of sweets - pastries, custards and fruit-based sweets - comprise the majority of Turkish desserts, in addition to baklava, which originated in the Ottoman Empire. In formal Ottoman dining, a meal might consist of as many as fourteen courses, not fewer than four of which would be dessert courses, followed by Turkish coffee. During the era of Sultans, rulers would often have sweets distributed to the common people during times of public celebration. Desserts are fundamentally tied to tradition, hospitality and cultural ingredients. Baklava, for example, is made from nearly tissue-thin layers of dough, butter, honey, and nuts, typically hazelnuts, walnuts or pistachios (my personal favorite!). They are oven-baked, and offered freely as a holiday treat to guests. Layers can number as high as sixty, and experienced Turkish cooks are proud of their deft skill in making, cutting and shaping baklava. Custards are milk-based, and can be made with rice, rice flour and, surprisingly, even chicken, which is very common in the most popular Turkish dessert puddings. Traditionally, the main dessert during Ramadan is attared rice flour custard, which begins the parade of desserts to follow. 'Güllaç' (goul-LAHCH') is another prolific and ubiquitous dessert largely associated with Ramadan. Made from cornstarch leaves soaked in sweetened milk and rosewater, the mixture is garnished with pomegranate seeds and ground nuts. The result is a dessert of high color contrast: the cloud-like fluffy white of the milky cornstarch, and the brilliant red of pomegranate seeds. Asure, popularly known as "Noah's Pudding" is another famous dessert composed of grains, fruits and nuts, though it is not a milk custard. Folklore claims that the dish, made from the last forty ingredients left in the Ark foodstores, was first prepared to celebrate finally coming to rest on a mountaintop. It is popularly considered an offering of peace and love, and is made to be shared and given away. And then there are the Halvas, consisting of a flour or semolina or nut-butter base, and sugar, milk, and cream. Halvas can also be embedded with nuts and fruits, to add flavor to the sweet base. These are very dense sweets that have deep ceremonial roots in Turkish culture. Halva is most often associated with the death of a family member, and the ceremonial anniversaries of deaths, when the confection is made and given away by relatives to reinforce bonds of community and remember a loved one. But Halva is also prepared and served at other occasions of significance, such as a birth, a graduation, a military commission. You could choose to serve halva at any celebration. Perhaps the most well-known halva is Lokum, or what we call Turkish Delight, a flour-based halva that is brightly colored, and can have a wide array of flavors, though, traditionally, the gelatinous sweet was flavored with rosewater or lemon peel or bitter orange, and its color was an indicator of its flavor. With such a rich tradition in hospitality and cultural celebration, Turkish Desserts are a wonderful, conversational addition to your entertaining menu. And as I've said before, décor and entertaining go hand in hand, so I am very pleased to offer you a selection of Turkish Desserts, like Halva and Lokum, traditionally prepared, and sent directly to your home. With a rich tradition in hospitality and cultural celebration, Turkish Desserts are a wonderful addition to your entertaining menu. Sweets have always been an important element of Turkish cuisine. That was true in the Ottoman Empire and is true today. Global Home Accents joins the Turks and says Afiyet Olsun!
Related Articles -
baklava, entertaining, Halva, Lokum, Ottoman, Turkey, Turkish Delight, Turkish Desserts,
|
