Turkish delight is not a dessert. If you presented it to your guests after a meal, they would be offended. It’s too small.
You should prepare something like:
Baklava
Künefe
or Kazandibi
After that you should bring Turkish coffee together with Turkish delight:
Now we are done!
Deep Roots for an Istanbul Delight
By SUSANNE FOWLER
Ozlem Tuna designed this set for serving coffee and Turkish delight, or lokum.
ISTANBUL — Good things often come in small packages: dark Turkish coffee or freshly brewed tea, for example, served in exquisite porcelain cups or etched tulip-shaped glasses, all accompanied by a mere bite or two of lokum, the candy also known as Turkish delight.
In the designer shops of Istanbul, traditional lokum dishes, or lokumluk in Turkish, are getting a modern makeover, though one with roots stretching to the Ottoman, Seljuk and even Hittite eras.
Prices can range from 390 Turkish lira, or about $192, for the designer Ozlem Tuna’s individual platter, miniature lokumluk and demitasse set, to more than to 3,100 lira for a dish in solid silver from the workshops of the upscale design house Armaggan.
“Presentation says a lot here in Turkey,” the designer Irem Bonfil of Dot Design Studio said. “It’s a sort of ceremony, so you have not just the special glass teacups, but other things you need for the table. A lokumluk is part of that.”
The serving of lokum, she said, “is a very old custom that is still used in most houses. You always have a box of lokum to put into a special dish in case someone just drops in.”
Whether the sweets are rose-scented lokum from the classic Haci Bekir on Istiklal Caddesi in the heart of the lively Beyoglu district, or rolls of almond paste from Meshur Bebek Badem Ezmesi along the Bosporus, they are presented in containers of silver, gold plate or fine ceramic decorated with accents like turquoise stones or a tulip-shaped finial.
“When I got married, I received one as a wedding gift from my mother-in-law,” Ms. Bonfil said. “It’s an important item that you receive as a young girl, and you keep it.”
Many of the lokumluk that she and others are creating are made by hand, from natural materials, by master craftsmen in the workshops that stretch from the Egyptian spice market up the hill to the Grand Bazaar.
“I had been an interior designer since 1986 for more commercial projects like large hotels and hospitals in the Middle East and Central Asia,” said Ms. Bonfil, who studied costume and stage design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. “But I wanted to come closer to local people and the source. I like to work with the craftsmen. They tell me their abilities and I design new things for them to make. It’s actually a dialog between them and me.”
Her newest line will be available, starting this month, at the Beymen department store at the new Zorlu Center Mall in Istanbul. Items include substantial plates carved from blocks of white or dark gray Turkish marble, with a small hand-hammered antique or silver-plated brass, crescent-moon-topped lokumluk as a centerpiece.
Perhaps her most interesting lokumluk reflects Ms. Bonfil’s own multicultural background.
“My mom is Levantine — half-Italian half-Hungarian — my dad is Turkish with some drops of Greek blood,” she said, “whereas my husband is a Sephardic Jew. I find myself immersed in all of these different traditions and I love it.”
That love is embodied in a 24-karat gold-plated hammered oxidized brass platter, 32 centimeters, or 12.6 inches, wide. The decorative top is a dreidel, or spinning top, crafted by Afghan Jews, she said. Some of the dreidels are engraved with Hebrew lettering. The silver and gold leaf veneer is circled with small agates and an accent bead is built from tiny pieces of turquoise. It sells for about 1,500 lira.
“I work with craftsmen whose work may be extinct soon,” she said. “There are only a few people that work on copper and brass the way you can see on my objects.”
Keeping crafts alive is also a goal of Ms. Tuna, who has a bachelor’s degree in ceramics from Marmara University.
“I work mostly with the traditional craftsmen around the Grand Bazaar,” she said. “I really care about using local products. All of my things are produced in Istanbul by hand in small ateliers using methods that haven’t changed since the Ottoman Empire.”
Ms. Tuna’s lokumluk blend old-style manufacturing with contemporary shapes and colors, offering bright turquoise or cherry red ceramics and hammered copper or brass silver-plated saucers, and cup handles with a tiny tulip motif. A set of three gold-plated, hand-beaten copper lokum bowls, called Dun, Bugun, Yarin (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow), sells for 710 lira.
“For me, it’s very important to keep tradition alive,” she said. And that includes the role of Turkish delight in entertaining.
“Lokum is special,” Ms. Tuna said, “because Turkish coffee has a bitter taste, and we also like to eat sweets. Lokum is small and comes in different flavors. So it’s a perfect team.”
A version of this article appears in print on November 19, 2013, in The International New York Times.
With the return of the ABC series “Pan Am” on Sunday, I recalled my visit to Istanbul in my stewardess days.
Istanbul was a city steeped in mystery. Historically it was known as Byzantium and Constantinople and had been the capital of the Roman, Byzantium, Latin and Ottoman Empires.
Visiting it with my mother on our way around the world from Hong Kong was going to be a real treat—especially to see the handsome faces of the men. The women had dark features and their own beauty, but it was a city and nation represented by virility. A testosterone capital.
Istanbul was located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompassed the natural harbor, the Golden Horn. It extended to European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus and was the only metropolis situated on two continents.
Mother and I stayed in the Hilton, which was a surprise as far as comfort, and not far from the Crazy Horse, a nightclub known for its exotic dancers. Here they were belly dancers. There were Crazy Horse Saloons in Beirut and the original was in Paris.
In 1954, Conrad Hilton chose Istanbul as the first city outside of the U.S. to build his hotel franchise. By 1966, the Istanbul Hilton was thriving. Close to Taksim Square and not far from the Golden Horn it was a good choice for a mother/daughter combo in need of assistance in navigating the intrigue of the Turkish culture. The Hilton was a Turkish delight.
After mother and I had flown through the night, at 9 a.m. we arrived, napped and then dressed.
“Let’s go to Taksim Square,” I said to her.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“We’ll find out,” I said as I laced my sneakers.
The concierge and staff were respectful to my mother and to me, unlike in Tokyo, where the employees of the Imperial Hotel smiled and were gracious to our faces, but when we walked away and I looked over my shoulder, I caught them ridiculing my mother who had been a farmer.
After strolling through the magnificent lobby, I realized why this hotel deserved its first five-star rating and was the first hotel in Istanbul to achieve this.
A storm was brewing and it was 4 p.m. We walked in the direction the concierge had indicated and were amazed at the chaos and traffic in the streets. Shops lined Istiklal Caddesi, the Avenue that led us to Taksim Square, and of course, there was a McDonald’s, as they were everywhere. It was crowded.
“Want a Big Mac?” I asked mother.
“Carole, I haven’t traveled half way around the world for a Big Mac. Let’s have something Turkish.”
“OK, “I said. “How’s this bistro?” We had come upon a charming restaurant.
“Looks interesting,” Mom said. She opened the door as a handsome Turkish man held it for her. His demeanor was friendly, but I cautioned mother after he asked if he could sit with us.
via Flying Into Istanbul for Turkish Delight | TheWrap TV.
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Culinary indulgences come easy to the traveler, especially when it comes to something sweet. Most destinations have at least one signature dessert – that one confection that they do so well; that certain dish that has history in every bite. Here are six cities and their famous desserts to try:
Turkish Delight in İstanbul
Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir was the most famous of all Ottoman confectioners. He came to İstanbul from the mountain town of Kastamonu in 1777 and opened a shop in the Old City where he concocted delicious boiled sweets and the translucent jellied jewels known to Turks as lokum – and to the rest of the world as Turkish Delight. Today, locals still buy their lokum from branches of the business he began over two centuries ago.
The flagship store of Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir is located near the Spice Bazaar. There are also stores on İstiklal Caddesi and in the produce market at Kadıköy. A more recent family dynasty has been established at Herşey Aşktan, opposite Pera Palace Hotel. Its delicious Turkish Delight can be packaged in decorative boxes, creating a perfect gift to take home to friends and family.
Cheesecake in New York
Sure, cheesecake, in one form or another, has been baked and eaten in Europe since the 1400s. But New Yorkers have appropriated its history in the form of the New York-style cheesecake. Immortalized by Lindy’s restaurant in Midtown, (which was opened by Leo Lindemann in 1921) the version served there – made of cream cheese, heavy cream, a dash of vanilla and a cookie crust – became wildly popular in the ’40s. Junior’s, which opened on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn in 1929 (and more recently in Midtown) makes its own famous version of the creamy cake with a graham-cracker crust.
Gelato in Florence
During Renaissance and 16th-century Florence, two cooks made ice-cream history: Ruggeri, a chicken farmer who made it to the culinary big time thanks to a sorbet he made for Catherine Medici; and Bernardo Buontalenti, a well-known architect who produced a frozen dessert based on zabaglione (a dessert of whipped egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine) and fruit. Both are considered founding fathers of Italy‘s gelato culture. You’ll usually be asked if you want panna (cream) with your ice cream. A good call is si.
Florentines take their gelato seriously. There’s a healthy rivalry among the local gelaterie artigianale (makers of handmade gelato), who all strive to create the creamiest, most flavorful and freshest product in the city. Flavors change according to what fruit is in season. Three of our favorites are: Gelateria dei Neri (semifreddo-style; cheaper than its competitors; wild flavors like gorgonzola); Gelateria Vivoli (tubs only – eat in the pretty piazza nearby); and Grom (a newcomer using many organic ingredients).
via How Sweet It Is: Destinations And Their Desserts | FoxNews.com.
One of the world’s leading military air force display teams, the Turkish Stars, is the latest aerobatic squadron to confirm its attendance at the 2011 Al Ain Aerobatic Show. The Turkish Stars will demonstrate their amazing airborne skills for the very first time in the UAE when they take to the skies above Al Ain International Airport from February 2-5.
The squadron features formations of up to nine F-5 fighter jets piloted by the Turkish Air Force’s 134th Acroteam Squadron Command, which has performed in hundreds of sensational displays around the world. The Turkish Stars are the only national aerobatic team to fly with formations of eight supersonic aircraft, and in 2001 they sealed a world record by performing to an audience of over 1 million people at an aerobatic show in Azerbaijan.
“Turkish Stars have an outstanding pedigree for entertaining spectators and displaying truly remarkable skills and execution,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which organises the Al Ain showpiece in conjunction with the UAE Armed Forces. “Spectators are guaranteed a dazzling exhibition of aerobatic arts when the team flies above Al Ain in February.
By joining some of the world’s best display teams, they will help the Al Ain Aerobatic
Show to raise the benchmark for world-class spectacles in the Middle East.”
The Al Ain Aerobatic Show is held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Now in its ninth year, the show has become firmly established as one of the world’s top five aerobatic events. Pilots from over a dozen of the best formation teams on the planet will visit the Oasis City to manoeuvre their agile aircraft over four days, in front of expected record crowds of some 130,000.
Taking centre-stage at the 2011 event will be the unique, multi-discipline FAI Desert Challenge. Arranged by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the international governing body for air sports, the Desert Challenge will see six of the world’s best pilots flying CAP232, Sukhoi 26 and Xtreme aircraft in classic and free-style competition formats.
Spectators at the Al Ain Aerobatic Show will be treated to a wealth of death-defying stunts featuring wing-walkers, subsonic jets and choreographed “dancers in the sky”. The Turkish Stars and FAI Desert Challenge participants will also be joined by the four Hawker Hunter supersonic fighter jets of Team Viper, which will be performing their amazing mock ground formation attack scenario for the first time in the Middle East.
Making their Middle East debut will be the Baltic Bees from Latvia, flying L-39C Albatros twin-shaft jets at speeds topping 900 km/h. Miss Demeanour, a mark F.4 XF947 Hawker Hunter that was built for Britain’s Royal Air Force in 1956, returns for a second consecutive year to thrill the spectators.
ADTA is significantly expanding the spectator village for 2011 to make it the largest to date. Among the wide range of activities on offer for all the family will be karting, model aircraft displays, a hot air balloon and VIP flights, while a greatly improved selection of F&B outlets will cater to every taste.
Daily tickets for the show are Dh40 per adult and Dh25 for children between three and 10 years old, while children under three enter free. Visitors can check the website for details on how to purchase tickets – www.alainaerobaticshow.com. And by accessing the Al Ain Aerobatic Show’s official web site, www.alainaerobaticshow.com one lucky enthusiast will also have a once-in-a-lifetime chance of winning a flight with one of the pilots at the show. Commonly known as the Oasis City and central to the cultural heritage of the country, Al Ain is approximately 80 minutes drive from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with both drives offering stunning views of the golden desert landscape as it transforms from stunning dunes into a verdant oasis, BlueSky Business Aviation News | 13th January 2011 | Issue #108
The Al Ain Aerobatic Show is held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Now in its ninth year, the show has become firmly established as one of the world’s top five aerobatic events. Pilots from over a dozen of the best formation teams on the planet will visit the Oasis City to manoeuvre their agile aircraft over four days, in front of expected record crowds of some 130,000.
Taking centre-stage at the 2011 event will be the unique, multi-discipline FAI Desert Challenge. Arranged by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the international governing body for air sports, the Desert Challenge will see six of the world’s best pilots flying CAP232, Sukhoi 26 and Xtreme aircraft in classic and free-style competition formats.
Spectators at the Al Ain Aerobatic Show will be treated to a wealth of death-defying stunts featuring wing-walkers, subsonic jets and choreographed “dancers in the sky”. The Turkish Stars and FAI Desert Challenge participants will also be joined by the four Hawker Hunter supersonic fighter jets of Team Viper, which will be performing their amazing mock ground formation attack scenario for the first time in the Middle East.
Making their Middle East debut will be the Baltic Bees from Latvia, flying L-39C Albatros twin-shaft jets at speeds topping 900 km/h. Miss Demeanour, a mark F.4 XF947 Hawker Hunter that was built for Britain’s Royal Air Force in 1956, returns for a second consecutive year to thrill the spectators.
ADTA is significantly expanding the spectator village for 2011 to make it the largest to date. Among the wide range of activities on offer for all the family will be karting, model aircraft displays, a hot air balloon and VIP flights, while a greatly improved selection of F&B outlets will cater to every taste.
