Turkish delight is a sweet with a wide range of fans. Its popularity has only increased since ancient times. Previously, the benefits and harms of Turkish delight raised many questions, but now much more is known about this delicacy, as it is a real favorite among desserts.

What Turkish delight is made of

Turkish delight is a popular sweet in the East, which, according to legend, was previously created exclusively for the sultan in the 18th century in Istanbul. The method of preparation of Turkish delight remains unchanged today. Dessert must necessarily consist of such components as sugar, molasses, starch and various additives, which can be chocolate, berries, candied fruits, nuts. In order for the pieces of delicacy not to stick together, you need to use powdered sugar or coconut.

Traditionally, Turkish delight takes more than two days to prepare. Now, with new technologies, it can be facilitated, but the laboriousness and duration of the process is not excluded. If you want to cook Turkish delight yourself at home, you need to arm yourself with a step-by-step recipe.

The chemical composition of Turkish delight

The composition of Turkish delight depends on the ingredients it contains: nuts, fruits, chocolate. Chemical composition classic Turkish delight:

Vitamins		Minerals
		macronutrients		trace elements
				Manganese

The presence of a huge amount of vitamins and minerals expands the range of effects of a useful product on the body and almost completely eliminates harm.

How many calories in Turkish delight

Nutritionists do not advise to abuse this delicacy in order to avoid the formation of excess weight due to the increased calorie content and a large amount of carbohydrates. The benefits of Turkish delight are manifested only in the case of moderate intake of sweetness.

Energy value of the product:

Eating dessert within the permissible limits will not cause significant harm to the body, but, on the contrary, will show all its beneficial properties, provide energy and eliminate stress-induced headaches.

Useful properties of Turkish delight

Turkish delight, the benefits and harms of which are priceless, is distinguished by many medicinal properties due to the rich content of natural vitamin and mineral complex. With regular use of sweets, you can feel all of its beneficial properties, since Turkish delight is capable of:

• strengthen immunity;
• rid the body of toxins and toxins;
• normalize the work of the cardiovascular system;
• positively affect brain activity;
• accelerate the release of endorphins into the blood;
• eliminate inflammation during a cold and relieve pain;
• improve psycho-emotional state;
• activate the enzymatic reactions of the digestive system.

It is very important to consume a dessert made from natural ingredients, without any additives or colorings, in order to get the most out of the sweetness.

More about the benefits and harms of oriental delicacies:

Is Turkish delight possible during pregnancy and breastfeeding

The benefits of Turkish delight for women in position lies in its ability to overcome depression and strengthen the immune system, but also to provoke rapid weight gain. If this is undesirable, then you should immediately exclude this product from the diet or eat only three pieces.

During lactation, the product can cause allergies in the child, so you need to choose a sweetness with less dangerous additives... During pregnancy and breastfeeding you do not need to use Turkish delight if it contains citrus additives and bright colors.

Turkish delight for children

The sweetness made from natural ingredients, without dyes and additives, will only benefit the child. But it is not recommended to give it to babies under one year old due to the large amount of carbohydrates and allergic components.

The product will have an excellent effect on the brain activity of a schoolchild, helping to eliminate both mental and physical fatigue after an active day. Due to its beneficial properties, it is well suited for reduced mobility of a child, saturating his body with all the necessary components to give vigor and activity.

Important! Especially useful for those preparing for exams to improve memory and concentration.

Is Turkish delight useful for losing weight

Some nutritionists recommend that you abandon this product, since it provokes an increase in body weight and the formation of a fat layer, like any product containing such an amount of easily digestible carbohydrates. If it is a favorite sweetness and you cannot refuse it, then you can simply reduce the rate of consumed sweetness, in order to avoid harm, to 50-40 g per day.

How to make Turkish delight at home

When making Turkish delight at home, you don't have to worry about the presence of such harmful components as dyes and preservatives, which are abundant in store products. To make your own classic Turkish delight, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology of its preparation.

Ingredients:

• 500 g sugar;
• 100 g corn starch;
• 8 g citric acid;
• 120 g of nuts (optional);
• 60 g icing sugar;
• 500 ml of water;
• optional food coloring and flavors.

Cooking method:

1. Fry the nuts in a skillet or use the oven.
2. Combine 350 ml of water, sugar, starch and 4 g of citric acid in a saucepan and send over medium heat.
3. Stir until completely dissolved, then cook until a caramel jelly is formed.
4. Mix remaining water and citric acid with starch and keep until translucent thick mixture.
5. Pour sugar syrup into the starchy mixture and keep on a minimum heat for 20 minutes.
6. Add nuts to the mass and nutritional supplements if desired, pour into parchment-lined molds and refrigerate overnight.
7. Sprinkle the finished dessert with powder and serve.

The harm of Turkish delight and contraindications

The main harmful source is sugar, of which there is a lot in the dessert. There are many risks when eating dessert that should not be neglected. Therefore, the product must be excluded from the diet of people:

• diagnosed with diabetes mellitus;
• with obesity;
• suffering from allergies;
• with diseases of the stomach and intestines.

In the presence of serious chronic diseases associated with the digestive system, it is necessary to consult a doctor before introducing sweetness into the menu. Abuse of the product can cause a heaviness in the stomach, the likelihood of obesity and problems with the skin and hair.

Important! Turkish delight is not advised to be consumed as an independent product. It should be washed down with an unsweetened light beverage to facilitate digestion.

How to choose Turkish delight

In order to choose a quality one, useful product, you must carefully read the information on the label and make sure there are no harmful additives. By the level of transparency, you can determine the purity of the starch and the absence of dyes. The main benefit of the product lies in the presence of juice from berries, mashed potatoes, all kinds of nuts, molasses, which must be included in the composition.

The treat should be sprinkled with food such as coconut flakes or sugar, ground to a dusty state, so that the pieces do not stick together and do not lose their taste.

How to store Turkish delight

Homemade sweetness must be wrapped in paper intended for food products, and place in a dry, cool place to preserve the flavor. Films or foils should not be used as they tend to generate moisture. The dessert needs to be protected from heat and moisture, this can spoil taste properties product.

Store for no more than six months, put in special containers to exclude the ingress of air, in the refrigerator or other place where it is cool.

Conclusion

After the benefits and harms of Turkish delight became known widely beyond the borders of the East, it became a favorite sweet of many countries, which began to use it as a traditional dish... After reviewing useful properties and contraindications, the delicacy can be safely introduced into the diet without fear of negative consequences.

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Turkish delight is a favorite delicacy from Turkey. Today, cooking technology has spread all over the world and is entrenched in the books of many families. Housewives prefer to cook a treat on their own, complementing traditional recipe your wishes. This is not surprising, because the result is a completely natural and original product. Consider the basic recipes for Turkish delicacies.

The classic Turkish delight recipe

• granulated sugar - 480 gr.
• corn starch - 80-100 gr.
• filtered water - 480 ml.
• citric acid powder - 8 gr.
• hazelnuts or peanuts - 120 gr.
• dye (food) - at the discretion
• food flavoring - optional
• icing sugar - 60 gr.

1. Prepare the nuts before basic manipulations. Fry them in a skillet without oil for 5-6 minutes. This procedure can be carried out in an oven using a high temperature.
2. Pour one and a half cups of recipe water into a saucepan, add granulated sugar and half the volume of citric acid. Stir and wait for the grains to dissolve.
3. When the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat to the lowest setting and continue cooking the syrup. It should become thick, like jelly, and take on a caramel shade.
4. In another container, mix the rest of the recipe water with half the citric acid and all the starch. Stir, cook until translucent over low heat.
5. When the second starchy mixture is ready and thick, add the boiled sugar syrup to it. Simmer the contents of the saucepan on the stove for a quarter of an hour (low heat).
6. At the final cooking step, add flavor, color, nuts. Take the Turkish delight tray, line it with parchment and pour the mixture inside.
7. Send the cells to the refrigerator for 7.5-8.5 hours. When the treat has set, cut it into slices and dust each bite with powdered sugar. Serve with unsweetened green tea.

Turkish Delight

• lemon zest - 25 gr.
• icing sugar - 45 gr.
• hazelnuts or almonds - 60 gr.
• corn starch - 55 gr.
• granulated sugar - 480 gr.
• rose oil - 0.75 gr.
• drinking water - 245 ml.
• honey - 45-50 gr.
• vanillin - 4 gr.

1. Measure out 145 ml. water according to the recipe and add granulated sugar to the liquid. Separately soak the starch in the remaining water, then stir in the sugar mass.
2. Send the saucepan with the contents to the stove, cook on medium power for 6 minutes. Then translate the indicator to the minimum mark, simmer the mass until it thickens.
3. Pre-fry the nuts in a skillet without adding oil. Cool them down to room temperature and add to syrup. Enter less than a gram here. rose oil, zest, honey, vanillin.
4. Do not stop stirring, let the mass get uniform. Prepare any molds suitable for Turkish delight. Line with parchment, pour the mixture into the cells.
5. Leave the treat to harden for 6 hours, then chop with a sharp knife portioned chunks... Sprinkle the product with starch and powdered sugar to keep the delight for a long time.

Almond Turkish delight

• granulated sugar - 730 gr.
• almonds - half a cup
• sugar dust - half a cup
• corn or rice starch - 3 cups
• filtered water - 1.35 l.

1. Peel the almonds, halve and fry in a skillet without adding oil. Separately soak the starch in three cups of water until a lump-free, homogeneous mixture is achieved. Let the starch stand for a while.
2. Take a saucepan in which the treat will be prepared. Pour in the sugar and the remaining water from the starch. Send to the stove and cook until the grains dissolve, get rid of the foam.
3. When the contents of the saucepan boil, add diluted starch, add roasted almonds. Continue to boil the mass until a thick substance is obtained.
4. Arm yourself with tins with high sides, pour the mixture into it. Smooth with a spatula so that a layer about 2.5-3 cm thick comes out. Let the treat cool for 6 hours.
5. When Turkish delight hardens, chop it with a sharp knife. Moisten the blade periodically hot water... Dip each slice of delicacies in sugar dust, serve.

• granulated sugar - 950 gr.
• powdered sugar - in fact
• lemon - 1 pc.
• potato or corn starch - 130 gr.
• dry milk of medium fat content - 80 gr.
• chocolate (preferably dark) - 110 gr.
• egg white - 2 pcs.

1. Chill chicken eggs, then separate the whites and whisk them immediately into a thick foam. In another cup, mix granulated sugar with milk powder, juice of one lemon, 360 ml. water.
2. Rub the chocolate and stir it into this mixture. Add the whipped egg whites to this. Set the cookware with the mass on the fire, turn on medium power and cook until almost boiling.
3. Stir the contents gently until smooth. Mix the prescription starch with 90 ml. water, achieve uniformity without lumps.
4. Stir the starch into the chocolate base and cook for about 7 minutes. During this time, it is necessary to prepare the mold and line it with parchment.
5. Pour the composition inside, level with a spatula and leave to cool for a while. Then refrigerate for another 7 hours. After this time, chop the delight into cubes, roll in sweet powder.

Turkish delight carrot

• starch (any) - 185 gr.
• lemon zest - 30-35 gr.
• drinking water - 80 ml.
• walnut - 150 gr.
• carrots - 500 gr.
• coconut flakes - 90 gr.
• granulated sugar - 150 gr.

1. Wash the carrots in advance, dry on towels, then pass through a fine-grained grater. Transfer the vegetable to a saucepan, pour in the water according to the recipe and add granulated sugar.
2. Stir the contents, set the heat to low, cook. Remember to stir to avoid burning the carrots. While simmering, grind the lemon zest and walnuts.
3. A quarter of an hour after the start of cooking the vegetable, add these ingredients (zest and nuts), mix. Dilute the starch with water according to the instructions, stir until the lumps disappear.
4. Send the creamy mixture to the stewpan to the carrots, cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Turn off the hotplate, prepare Turkish delight tins or a long rimmed baking sheet.
5. Line the cells with parchment paper, pour the thick mixture inside. Smooth the surface, wait for it to cool. When this happens, cover the mixture with plastic and poke a few holes with a toothpick.
6. Keep Turkish delight in the cold for about 7 hours until it hardens. After the allotted time, cut it into portioned slices 2.5-3 cm in size. Dip first in starch, then in coconut flakes.

• walnuts or almonds - 60 gr.
• granulated sugar - 60 gr.
• sweet apple - 4 pcs.
• coconut flakes - in fact
• corn starch - 110 gr.
• table water - in fact

1. Rinse the apples and pour over boiling water, remove the wax layer (if the fruit is purchased). Peel the fruit, removing the center and skin (optional).
2. Pour some water into a saucepan, add granulated sugar and start to cook the syrup. The sweet base should be thick and smooth. When this happens, add the sliced ​​apples.
3. Reduce heat to minimum, add nuts (whole or chopped). Dissolve the starch in cool water until the lumps disappear, add to the apple-nut mass.
4. The jam should become smooth and transparent. To do this, it must be constantly interfered. The composition is boiled down on the smallest heat for about 50-60 minutes.
5. When the base is cooked and cooled slightly, pour it into suitable molds. Allow to freeze in the cold, then cut into portions. Roll in coconut shavings and treat to family.

Pumpkin Turkish delight

• granulated sugar - 400 gr.
• lemon juice - 30 ml.
• corn starch - 80 gr.
• pumpkin pulp - 250 gr.
• drinking water - in fact

1. Pumpkin pulp must be freed from fibers and seeds, peeled and cut into 1-1 cm cubes. Mix 130 ml. drinking water with granulated sugar according to the recipe, send the dishes to the stove and cook the syrup.
2. When the granules are dissolved, add the pumpkin slices, cook on medium power until the vegetable softens. Now, without removing the pumpkin, let the syrup cool.
3. Arm yourself with a hand blender and dip it into the sweet base. Make a kind of puree. Pour in the lemon juice, stir the mixture and put it back on the fire.
4. Dissolve the starch in water, following the instructions. Achieve a condition that there are no lumps. Do not stop stirring the syrup, pour in the starch at the same time.
5. You will notice that the contents of the container begin to thicken quickly. Stir this mass for 2-3 minutes so that it “grabs”. Remove the pot from the hotplate when you have prevented the clumping.
6. Let the future Turkish delight cool, then pour the composition into the appropriate molds. Refrigerate until hardened, cut into slices and dust each slice with powdered sugar.
7. So that the treat does not get damp and lasts longer under normal conditions, you can first roll each slice in starch, then in a similar pattern in sugar dust.

Even the most inexperienced housewife can prepare a traditional Turkish treat at home. Turkish delight will appeal to both adults and children. The main thing is to observe step by step instructions... Choose the recipe you like and start manipulating. You can replace some components with similar ones, keeping the proportions.

Video: how to make Turkish delight

When you try Turkish Delight for the first time, it seems like something unimaginable, like a thousand and one nights: very sweet, so sweet that you can't eat more than two or three pieces; very satisfying, varied: spices, nuts, fruit puree, aromatic additives, infusions ... When you get to know each other better, you understand, the oriental sweetness is insidious: it looks simple, there are a minimum of ingredients, but the pastry chef will need all his patience and accuracy: if you do not understand the "moment of readiness", you may not get the result. Therefore, I recommend a bunch: Turkish delight - a recipe at home, with a photo and a detailed description.

What is Turkish delight made of?In many of the recipes that I have read and tried, the same composition, ratio of ingredients and the principle of preparation is maintained. The base, the base of the delight is a thick, boiled, highly concentrated sugar syrup mixed with starch paste. It is recommended to use corn starch. As for the syrup, it is boiled both in water and in juices, infusions, flower waters. The amount of syrup is conditional: if you take more of it, then it will take longer to cook, and vice versa. The amount of water indicated in my recipe is not standard, it just means that I tried to cook Turkish delight with so much liquid and got the result. Often nuts are added to Turkish delight, sprinkle on top of the pieces of dessert with powdered sugar and starch, or coconut flakes.

Turkish delight recipe will especially delight those who are fasting, because for its preparation you do not need milk, eggs or butter.

Cooking time: 1 hour + 5-6 hours for cooling
Outlet: 18 pieces * 3.5cm

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 0.5 cups of water for syrup
• 0.5 cups starch
• 1.5 cups water for starch paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 100 grams of nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews of your choice)
• flavoring or essence
• a pinch of food coloring
• 0.25 cups of icing sugar and starch for sprinkling the finished dessert

How to cook Turkish delight at home

First of all, we prepare the nuts - fry and peel them so that at the time the lucum is ready, they can be quickly added to the mixture. The easiest way to do this is in the oven: pour the nuts onto a baking sheet and brown at 200 degrees for 10 minutes.

Then we start cooking sugar syrup... Dissolve sugar in water (0.5 cups) in a saucepan with a thick bottom, add half the norm of citric acid (juice) there.

Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.

We boil the syrup to a test for a solid ball. To get a light delight, you should boil the syrup over the lowest heat, and for a caramel effect, over medium heat. It will take about 5 minutes.

To check the readiness of the syrup, we collect it a little in a teaspoon and put it in a glass with cold water... This is the so-called hard ball test. When the syrup has cooled completely, it should be firm. You can also check with a culinary thermometer - focus on a temperature of 130 degrees - the most reliable way.

Set aside the prepared Turkish delight syrup.

The next step is to mix the starch with water (1.5 cups) and add the other half of the citric acid or juice.

We put the container on a small fire and boil until the mass becomes very thick and translucent. it important point, the consistency of the future dessert depends on it. It took me about 20 minutes, but the time is arbitrary - you may need a little less or more.

Gently pour the sugar syrup into the starch paste.

Without removing the container from the stove, thoroughly knead the mass until a homogeneous viscous state.

Cook the mixture, stirring it, for 20-25 minutes on the lowest heat, after which we add the dye, flavor and nuts.

We take a rectangular shape - you can use a metal tray or a baking dish - cover it cling film and grease with a small amount of vegetable oil.
Pour hot Turkish delight into the mold.

We send the Turkish delight to cool for 5-6 hours, or even better, leave it alone overnight. When the dessert hardens well, it will look like rubber.

Densely sprinkle the work surface with a mixture of powdered sugar and starch (0.25 cups each), and then put the finished Turkish delight on it.

Sprinkle the layer on top powder with starch and cut it with a sharp knife into 3.5 cm cubes.

Thoroughly roll each square from all sides.

We put Turkish delight in an airtight container - in this form it can be stored for 2 weeks. But the dessert will most likely sell out much faster. Bon Appetit!

Turkish delight: benefits and harms

Sweet happiness, so this is what you are ...

Nutritionists say that the benefits of Turkish delight are questionable. Judge for yourself: Turkish delight is a sweetness of such concentration, of such tremendous sweetness that it cannot be useful in any way. A lot of sugar is bad for you. Sugar destroys teeth, knocks down the pancreas from the correct mode, is contraindicated for diabetics. On the other hand, relaxing oriental sweets activate the hormones of happiness and joy in the body, which is very desirable for health!

The benefits of Turkish delight are obviously found in supplements such as nuts. Turkish delight often contains nuts, including almonds, which are exceptional in their composition and important for health. At the same time, Turkish delight is a high-calorie dessert; it is not recommended for people who decide to lose weight.

More about the pros: Turkish delight is one of the few desserts allowed for fasting, as well as those suffering from atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Since Turkish delight is, firstly, a vegetarian product and, secondly, practically does not contain fats (especially if the recipe is nut-free).

Conclusions? Decide for yourself what outweighs Turkish delight: benefit or harm. Probably, for different people, the conclusions will be different. Personally, I adhere, it seems to me, to a rational approach: there is no need to deprive myself of a quality oriental delicacy, but even sweet happiness is good in moderation.

Turkish delight is a visiting card of Turkey.

Leaving on vacation to another country, our main goal is not only an interesting vacation, but also the purchase of such souvenirs that could vividly characterize the country we visited. Turkish delight - exotic oriental sweets - remains the invariable trademark of Turkey. Thanks to the unusual name, appetizing appearance, unique taste and variety of types of this Turkish delicacy, our compatriots have liked it. Leaving Turkey, tourists take with them full bags of Turkish delight in order to treat family and friends with an amazing oriental dessert at home.

For the first time Turkish delight (in translation from Turkish rahat-lokum - "convenient piece") was created 230-250 years ago. Its origin is shrouded in many legends and conjectures, but many believe that the delicacy appeared as a result of the rivalry between the two chefs of the Sultan, each of whom dreamed of surprising his master and becoming his favorite, taking the leading position in the palace kitchens. One of the chefs, Ali Mahiddin, in a fit of inspiration, came up with a new dish made from sugar syrup, starch, aromatic additives, nuts and dried fruits. An unusual dessert melting in the mouth delighted the Sultan, in gratitude he showered the savvy chef with all kinds of favors. A simple recipe for its preparation quickly spread throughout the Middle East, Asia Minor and Persia and, constantly improving, reached perfection.

Turkish delight strikes with a variety of ingredients. It can be simple, with nuts, candied fruits, sprinkled with coconut, cinnamon, powdered sugar, edible poppy seeds or chocolate, served in pieces and rolls, have one or more flavors.

Today Turkish delight is known all over the world as a national Turkish dish, they treat it with respect, as well as Belgian chocolate, French wine, Swiss cheese... Everyone who has tried onions at least once has a desire not only to feast on them again, but also to find out how and from what these wonderful sweets are made. For a long time, the Turks kept the technology and recipe for Turkish delight in secret, but everything secret always becomes clear.

Lokum is made from starch and sugar using a special technology. Honey, syrups, dried fruits, nuts and much more are added to add a special taste. The finished Turkish delight is cut into small cubes with an elastic consistency, sprinkled with finely ground powdered sugar. The variety of types of Turkish delight is achieved through the addition of various fruit syrups, but traditional Turkish delight is made exclusively with the addition of rose water (a by-product in the production of rose essential oil). Rose water gives sweets a light pink hue and a special exotic taste, thanks to which Turkish delight has become popular all over the world.

In Turkey Turkish delight is served with coffee or tea, but those with a sweet tooth eat it as an independent product. In ancient times, this sweet miracle was enjoyed exclusively by royal persons, Turkish delight never fell on the table of an ordinary family.

Glancing into one of the Turkish shops with oriental sweets, the tourist's eyes run up. I would like to try and take everything with me at once. Many people do just that. They buy Turkish delight in whole boxes, not really figuring out what's inside.

There are several secrets on how to choose the right Turkish delight.

It is better not to buy sweets in boxes and packages, so you will not be able to appreciate its freshness, quality, aroma. The box is unlikely to be opened for you. Turkish delight should be bought by weight in specialized stores. There you will be helped to choose what you like. You can even create an assortment of all the types of treats available in the store. Do not buy Turkish delight on the street, there sweets often become weathered, become dusty, and lose their original aroma.

When choosing delight, pay attention to the fact that all the pieces are of the correct shape and slightly shine in the cut. If the edges of the Turkish delight are pulled inward, this is a sign that it was not stored correctly, it has dried out. A good Turkish delight, when squeezed, immediately takes its previous shape, does not stick to the bag or box.

In the case of Turkish delight, the concepts of "tasty" and "healthy" are closely interrelated. The famous Turkish company "Hazer Baba" conducted research, according to the results of which it became known that these sweets are extremely beneficial to health. After all, it is no accident that all the eastern rulers, who endlessly participated in exhausting wars and have huge harems, were always full of strength and energy, remaining healthy and vigorous for many years. Until the end of their days, they retained a taste for life, enjoyed food, feminine beauty, actively participated in the affairs of the country, traded, bred horses, and so on.

The secret lies in the ingredients of Turkish delight. For example, nuts different types contained in lucuma, help with hypertension, obesity, insomnia, high cholesterol. Carrots improve visual acuity, fight anemia. Coconut pulp improves the condition of those suffering from urological and venereal diseases. Among the Turks, there is an opinion that men who eat Turkish delight every day retain their masculine strength until old age.

Unlike other sweets of the East, rare and refined products and any sophisticated culinary technologies are not needed to prepare Turkish delight. You can easily cook Turkish delight at home and please your loved ones with an unusual dish in honor of any holiday.

Turkish delight recipe (for a large number of guests):

4 liters of water should be slowly heated on the stove, gradually adding 750 grams of corn starch, 5 kilograms of sugar, 10 grams of citric acid. The mixture is slowly and continuously stirred for an hour and a half (and nothing less) - this is the only difficulty in preparing Turkish delight. When the base becomes stringy, you can remove it from the heat.

Further actions depend on your imagination and taste preferences. While the mixture is still warm, add whatever you like to it. 150 grams of cocoa - delight becomes chocolate. All kinds of nuts - hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts - are also great. Add candied fruits to the delight. Do not forget that rose water is an indispensable ingredient, without which Turkish delight cannot be imagined. Even the chef Ali Mahiddin added rose water, it is impossible to do without it even today.

How to cook Turkish delight (video)

The prepared and thoroughly mixed mixture is cooled, laid out on a large baking sheet, cut into neat pieces, rolled in coconut, powdered sugar or something else. You need to store the finished product in a container with a tight-fitting lid so that moisture does not penetrate there. Bon appetit and bright impressions!

According to legend Turkish delight was invented for the voluptuous sultan, who was a great lover of women. And, indeed, the benefit of Turkish delight is its ability to increase potency and saturate the body with energy for amorous pleasures.

Description

Turkish delight is a famous oriental sweet. Turkish delight contains molasses, sugar and starch, and various ingredients are added for flavor diversity - berry or fruit juice, nuts, fresh berries, chocolate, candied fruits, vanilla, coconut, etc.

Turkish delight was invented at the end of the 18th century in Istanbul, and in many ways its recipe has remained unchanged today. Traditionally, the preparation of sweets takes two days, so it is problematic to cook Turkish delight at home, but if you have diligence and desire, it is possible. Secret correct preparation consists in thorough and constant mixing of the sweet mass and observing a long cooling period.

Preparation and composition of Turkish delight

At the first stage, 400 ml of water, previously infused on rose petals, and 4 cups of sugar are mixed, 1 tablespoon is added lemon juice... This mixture is put on high heat and brought to a boil for ten minutes. The finished syrup is removed from the heat and cooled. The second stage of preparation begins with whipping 3 glasses of water, 1 glass of starch and 1 teaspoon of tartar. The resulting mass is heated over low heat, stirring constantly so that no lumps form. After the mass has boiled, chilled syrup is poured into it in a thin stream, stirring continuously. In the third stage sweet preparation cook at a temperature not exceeding 80 ° C for several hours, stirring constantly, until the mass thickens and turns golden brown. After that, the pan is removed from the heat, and then the transformation of the sweet thick mass into a delicious oriental sweetness begins. Candied fruits, nuts, vanilla, grated chocolate and other components are added to the sweet base, depending on what taste the cook wants to get. At the same time, the amount of additional ingredients can take up a third of the volume of the entire mass.

In conclusion, the culinary specialist pours the still warm and liquid Turkish delight onto a sheet of parchment, laid out on a baking sheet and greased vegetable oil... To distribute the mass evenly on the sheet, slightly shake and shake the baking sheet, cover the mass on top with plastic wrap and leave it to solidify. After about 12 hours, Turkish delight is given the required shape using special molds or an ordinary sharp knife. Sprinkle the resulting delicacy on top with a mixture of powdered sugar and starch or coconut flakes. Store the finished sweetness in a special container or wrapped in paper to avoid contact with air.

History

The history of the most exquisite and popular oriental sweets is known reliably, unlike many others, regarding the origin of which there are different opinions.

Turkish delight was invented by the court confectioner of the Turkish Sultan, Ali Hadji Bekir, at the end of the 18th century. But about the circumstances preceding the invention, there are several opinions. According to one hypothesis, the great sultan was a great sweet tooth. Once he broke a tooth on a hard candy and got so angry with the pastry chef that he came up with a new soft dessert literally overnight. Turkish delight in Arabic means "convenient bites".

According to another hypothesis, the Arab sultan was very fond of women and had a large harem. The habit of giving his women pleasure not only with the help of carnal pleasures, but also with a preliminary delicious treat, forced him to demand from his confectioners the invention of new unusual sweets, more and more varied and complex. As a result, Haji Bekir came up with a universal Turkish delight, which included sugar, rose water and starch, and diversified its taste by adding various ingredients. Regardless of what is true, the sultan and his chef made all sweet tooth happy for hundreds of years to come, because this viscous and delicate delicacy is popular in many countries of the world to this day.

It is known that the descendants of Haji Bekir became rich and famous owners of a sweets shop in Istanbul, and in the 19th century they presented Turkish delight at the Brussels exhibition. The sweetness received a gold medal and was widespread throughout Europe. In Europe, Turkish delight began to be called "Turkish Delight", or "Turkish delight". The British were especially fond of the sweetness, where they used it for a five-hour tea party. Currently, there are a huge number of types of Turkish delight, of a wide variety of forms - these are nut, fruit, two-layer, cubic, children's, sliced, fig, white, honey and many other types.

Calorie content of Turkish delight

Like many sweets, the calorie content of Turkish delight is quite high and amounts to about 350 kcal per 100 g of product. Therefore, it is better for them not to abuse and not eat this sweetness more than 50 grams per day. And if you want to get rid of excess weight, then it would be best to give it up for a while.

Since the Turkish delight contains sugar, its excessive use causes "disruptions" of fat metabolism, which is often the reason for an increase in body weight and fat formation.

The benefits of Turkish delight

The high calorie content of Turkish delight still does not give a reason to class it as a harmful product. Indeed, this oriental delicacy contains glucose, which, without a doubt, is useful for the human body. Thanks to the effects of glucose, cardiac activity and the work of the brain are improved, the production of endorphins, hormones that raise mood and the level of efficiency, increases. In addition, the glucose, which is part of Turkish delight, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair and improves intestinal motility.

Some may find this very strange, but Turkish delight is also beneficial in enhancing immunity. It turns out that glucose in combination with starch forms a component that helps the human body fight colds and viral diseases.

The benefits of Turkish delight largely depend on the additives included in the recipe. So, for example, slices of orange or lemon help to cure colds, honey improves blood quality and normalizes digestion processes, berries and fruit juices saturate the body useful vitamins and minerals.

Contraindications

Due to the high calorie content of Turkish delight and the high sugar content, sweetness in the body turns into fat and is deposited under the membranes of internal organs and skin. Therefore, excessive consumption of sweets leads to hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

Among other things, an oriental delicacy disrupts the secretion of enzymes in the stomach, pancreas and intestines, and also spoils tooth enamel. Therefore, in the presence of chronic diseases and a sedentary lifestyle, Turkish delight should not be consumed at all.