Although not classified as typical of winter, Turkish Delight strongly reminds of Christmas because C. S. Lewis, who knew exactly what his young audience liked, devotes a whole chapter of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe to Edmund Pevensie's obsession with the popular sweet treat. His choice of Turkish Delight in the middle of winter seems irrational but then so does everything in this kingdom whose 'queen' has the skill to fulfil your every wish. And though I'm used to eating rahat-lokum in the summer, writing this post on 31 December makes a lot of sense.
When the Pevensie children enter Narnia through a distant relative's wardrobe, it's been covered in snow for the past hundred years lest its people should rise against the Witch. "A hundred years without presents?" gasps Lucy when the Faun tells her. Why, yes. Talking animals, dancing trees & other wondrous creatures she is about to meet (like the cute pair of Beavers) are obliged to live in hiding. And yet, exotic stuff is not impossible to find in Narnia: Her brother Edmund almost sells the family in exchange for Turkish Delight while Lucy herself is delayed by the prospect of tea and sardines.
C. S. Lewis gives no hints about flavors (the 2005 film adaptation features rosewater) but he is very specific about textures. Jadis produced meltaway Turkish Delight that you could hardly find in wartime Britain. The original confection was brought over to England from Istanbul in 1777 by a man named Haci Bekir. Its popularity rose in Victorian times, as with other imports from the Orient which transported romantics to places they might never be able to visit: Turkey, Persia, Arabia. Or Narnia, for that matter. Have you also noticed that several kinds of Asiatic mammals, including elephants & leopards, inhabit this fictional kingdom? And, whether deliberate or not, Aslan (the Great Cat) is named after the Turkish word for 'lion'.
TURKISH DELIGHT
The method for this recipe is adapted from candy.about.com (edited: the link used to point there on 31/12/2018 but two years later it points to 'The Spruce Eats' so maybe the website has changed their name) but the ingredients are based on historical facts. Ottoman rahat-lokum was originally sweetened with
honey and molasses, bound with a mixture of water & flour, and seasoned with rosewater, lemon or bitter-orange.
I n g r e d i e n t s
1 cup (=280g) blackstrap molasses
1 cup (=340g) wild flower honey
4 cups (=480ml) water
1/2tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup (=75g) corn flour
1/2tsp cream of tartar
3tbsp lemon zest, grated
1/2 cup (=100g) slivered almonds
1/2 cup (=60g) powdered sugar
sunflower oil
M e t h o d
1/2 cup (=60g) powdered sugar
sunflower oil
M e t h o d
1.
Line an 18x28cm baking pan with parchment paper, lightly greased with oil. 2. Place 3/4 cups (=180ml) water in a
saucepan over medium heat. (I used a 18x13cm
heavy-bottomed cooking pot.) Add the molasses, honey and lemon juice,
stir well and let boil. It should be 105 C by the time you go on with the next
step. 3. Mix the corn flour and cream of
tartar in a larger saucepan. (I used a 20x10cm
cooking pot.) Add 1 1/4 cups (=300ml) water and let boil, whisking
constantly until it thickens. It should look and feel gluey. 4. Remove the syrup from the heat when it
reaches 115 C. Pour into the cream and keep whisking until incorporated. Lower
the heat and simmer for an hour, stirring every 8-10 minutes. (The mixture begins to caramelize after 45-50 minutes. I
suggest you turn off the heat on 55 minutes and whisk more often until cooking
time ends.) 5. If there are lumps, use a hand blender
to smoothe them out. Add the lemon zest and slivered almonds and mix well. 6. Pour into the baking pan. Let set
overnight, uncovered. 7. Lift the parchment paper from the
edges. Flip the Turkish delight onto a bed of powdered sugar. Dust with more
powdered sugar and use an oiled and knife to cut into squares. 8. Fold each bite in powdered sugar.
N o t e
Best
eaten within 1-2 days. If not, line a box with parchment paper, and place the
candy on a thick layer of powdered sugar.
N o t e
TURKISH DELIGHT IN PICTURES
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| Mix water, molasses, honey & lemon juice. |
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| Mix corn flour, cream of tartar & water. |
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| Combine mixtures and stir. |
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| Throw in almonds & lemon zest. |
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| Let set before cutting into squares. |
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| Fold each bite in powdered sugar. |
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