Lokum (Turkish delight)
Photo: c.berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir set up his confectionery on Hamidiye Caddesi in 1777 and is credited with refining the soft cornstarch-and-sugar gel known internationally as Turkish delight. The shop, still in the family, fixed the canonical Istanbul versions: gul (rose), sakizli (mastic), fistikli (pistachio).

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Common allergens: Nuts

Make it at home

Yield 40Hands-on 45 minTotal 8 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 600g caster sugar
  • 500ml water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 120g cornflour, plus extra for coating
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 400ml cold water (for the starch slurry)
  • 1 tablespoon rosewater
  • 100g shelled unsalted pistachios (optional)
  • 50g icing sugar, mixed with 2 tablespoons cornflour, for the final dust

Method

  1. Line a 20cm square tin with cling film and brush lightly with oil.
  2. In a heavy pan, dissolve the sugar in 500ml water with the lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook to 115C (soft-ball stage), then remove from the heat.
  3. In a second pan whisk 120g cornflour and cream of tartar into 400ml cold water until smooth. Heat gently, whisking constantly, until it thickens to a translucent paste.
  4. Pour the hot sugar syrup slowly into the starch paste in a thin stream, whisking continuously to avoid lumps.
  5. Return to a low heat and cook 45 to 60 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture turns deep amber and pulls away from the sides of the pan in thick ribbons.
  6. Stir in the rosewater and pistachios off the heat. Pour into the lined tin, level, and rest uncovered overnight at room temperature.
  7. Turn out, cut into 2cm cubes with an oiled knife, and toss in the icing sugar and cornflour dust to coat each face.

Tip from the editors. If the slab turns out grainy, you stopped stirring too soon; the gel needs that long slow cook to set glossy rather than sandy.

Where to eat lokum (turkish delight)

Lokum (Turkish delight) in Istanbul

Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir ★ 4.5

₺ BakeryLokum (Turkish delight)EminönüWalk-in only

Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir at Bahçekapı, the 1777-founded confectioner credited with inventing modern lokum, run from a heritage-listed shopfront beside Yeni.

Worth the queueRose-and-pistachio lokum

Directions

Hafız Mustafa 1864 ★ 4.3

₺ BakeryTurkish delight and baklavaEminönüWalk-in only

Hafız Mustafa 1864 on Hamidiye Caddesi, the original Sultan Abdülaziz-era confectioner still rolling lokum and laminated baklava in Eminönü over a 160-year.

Worth the queuePomegranate Turkish delight

Directions

Karaköy Güllüoğlu ★ 4.6

₺₺ TurkishKaraköyUntil Open until 24:00

Karaköy Güllüoğlu, the 1949 baklava counter on Rıhtım still cutting pistachio baklava with a scoop of clotted cream until midnight for after-dinner Karaköy.

TryPistachio baklava with kaymak

Directions

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