I ended up with a rose-flavored jelly treat that wasn’t at all chewy. So, I decided to experiment using different temperatures for the sugar and water mixture.ĭuring my first attempts, I brought the sugar to 240✯, just above the point where the sugar is inverted (more on that in a sec), and then added in the cornstarch solution. On the other hand, a chewy candy such as taffy is made by achieving a certain temperature with a mixture of sugar and water. When you rely on the cornstarch to thicken the candy, you end up with a semi-solid mass of candy, but it is more like a solid gel and not at all chewy. I’m almost embarrassed to say how many times I have tried to make this. So, I tried numerous times to get it right. While my first attempts resulted in a flavor that was spot-on, the texture was a lot lighter and softer, not at all chewy like the Turkish delight I had bought in Turkey. I also wasn’t sure about the texture achieved with corn starch alone. I didn’t get consistent results with the recipe and found it to be finicky. Many people enjoyed the recipe, but I still wasn’t happy. When I published my first Turkish delight recipe on this blog, I used corn starch (as most recipes do) and avoided adding wheat because I was testing out a gluten-free diet at the time. (Wheat flour was on the list of ingredients of the lokum I had bought.) (In contrast, some modern versions use gelatin or a similar gelling agent to achieve its characteristic chewiness.) While my boxes of Turkish delight had corn starch as the main starch used, I imagine that the truly traditional versions of this treat called for other starches instead. You have to play with the gelling of the starch and the hardening of the sugar mixture to get the right texture. Traditional Turkish delight is made with a starch and sugar. I ended up with a sweet treat with a delicious rose flavor, but felt that it lacked a bit of chewiness. Unfortunately, after numerous attempts, I wasn’t completely happy with the outcome. After seeing numerous recipes, I figured making it must be easy. ![]() So, I was determined to learn to make Turkish delight from scratch at home. The other variety I bought was more like a nougat with peanuts and pistachios. I was a bit disappointed to find that I had really only brought back a few pieces of this new treat I loved so much. They were quite large but were well padded. Unfortunately, the boxes I had bought were a bit deceiving. With my first bite of rose-flavored Turkish delight, though, I was immediately taken in by its exotic flavors combined with that chewy texture that I adore. In fact, I really only have a hard time passing on licorice and its chewy texture. I suspected that I would like Turkish delight, but wasn’t prepared for how much I would like it. With my love of trying new things, especially anything exotic or with a “perfumed” type flavor (like litchees or roses), I knew I had to give it a try. His love of Turkish delight was enough to get him to betray his family and join her. ![]() In the story, the white witch lures young Edmund Pevensie with this delectable treat. This gel-based sweet has piqued my interest ever since I watched an animated movie of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (from the Chronicles of Narnia) at my grandparents’ house as a kid. It’s very popular in the Middle East but has gained popularity in other parts of the world. The most common is probably the pink-colored rose-flavored lokum, but other popular varieties use pistachios and walnuts. It can be flavored in a number of ways, often with nuts, citrus fruits, and/or rose water. Turkish delight, also traditionally known as lokum, is a sweet gel confection made with sugar and starch. While I was there, though, rather than picking up an “authentic fake watch” (Yes, that was on a sign I saw!), I bought two beautiful hand-painted bowls and several boxes of Turkish delight. ![]() So, of course, I do not proclaim myself an expert in anything Turkish. Of course, when cruising, you only make short stops in touristy areas. Several years ago, our family went on a European cruise that brought us to Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Kusadasi, Turkey.
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