So, What is Turkish Delight?

Turkish Delight or lokum is a popular dessert sweet throughout Europe, especially in Greece, the Balkans, and, of course, Turkey. Its English name is no misnomer. Turks make and consume lots of lokum, and it’s a popular gift, a sign of hospitality. It is a family of confections based on a combination  of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the mixture; traditional varieties are often flavoured with rosewater. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. Other popular flavours include Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Almond & Coconut, Strawberry, Mint, and of course, Original.

Outside of countries where Turkish Delight is a ubiquitous treat, many people first encounter it via The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first installment of C.S. Lewis’s beloved Narnia books (or via the 1988 TV miniseries, or the 2005 movie). In the book, Edmund is tempted by Turkish Delight into an alliance with the White Witch, who has brought eternal winter to Narnia. When Edmund first meets the witch, she asks him, “What would you like best to eat?” He doesn’t even hesitate.