In Istanbul: Turkish Delights and Desserts

My taste buds prefer sour and salty fares but in the recent months I seem to be enjoying taking sweets from time to time. Like chocolate with nuts. It must have been the age? I heard somewhere that the older you get, the more you want to eat sweet stuff. But if you put Jamon Iberico Bellota and a scrumptious luxurious chocolate with nuts in front of me, I would pick the Jamon Iberico Bellota for sure.

In Istanbul, especially on the famous Istiklal Street in Beyoglu (this is the shopping and night life place of Istanbul), I saw endless piles of Turkish Sweets on shop windows. I never bought any though. Although I love seeing the beautiful colours of Turkish Delights, it is just not my type of sweet. The only Turkish Delight I tasted during this trip was the free one I got with my Turkish Coffee which I shared with an American backpacker I met at the cafe beside the Blue Mosque. I have pictures to show of course but that will be on a later post =)

This one I could eat. I love nuts and they do help balance out the sweetness of the sweet honey coated bird’s nest cup.

You can buy Turkish Delights in cubes or in bars.

The main ingredients of a Turkish Delight are: chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts), dates, sugar and starch which becomes into this chewy gel that binds eveything together. The starch is usually flavoured with rosewater, bergamot orange or lemon.

Then they are often dusted with icing sugar, coconut shreds or cream of tartar to prevent the sweets from sticking to each other.

These have a half of a walnut in them.

Turkish desserts as well such as the phyllo layered baklava and the rest of its variations are also not my cup of tea. I do not mind a little bite to go with coffee or tea, unfortunately during this trip I just didn’t lust for any.

This baklava tower dripping in honey is the show stealer on Istaklal Street.

A phyllo dessert pastry with honey-coated chopped pistachios filling.

Travel Period: May 2015
Destination: Beyoglu, Istanbul (Marmara), Turkey

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