Turkish delight is a very gooey confection made with starch, sugary water, and a light flavoring. It was eaten by Edmund in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Here is a recipe for Mint Turkish Delight

My sister had to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe way back when in fifth grade or so. I remember it because we used to eat Turkish Delight on a somewhat regular basis. What Turkish Delight is, however, is not entirely significant. My sister's teacher, Mrs. Downing, asked her class to bring a dish of what each of them thought Turkish Delight was. The kids brought in lots of things, anything they liked. My sister's dish, the dish I now refer to and know affectionately as Turkish Delight, consisted of:

Fry the chicken in a pan with some oil. Boil the rice in a seperate pot. When the rice and chicken are ready, mix them together in the pan at which time you add the broccoli. Allow the broccoli time to fully cook and you've got Turkish Delight. Granted, it's not the LW&W dish, but a family favorite of mine nonetheless.

1973 film by Paul Verhoeven of Robocop fame, long before he sold out to Hollywood. Stars Rutger Hauer (in his debut) and Monique van de Ven; shot by Jan de Bont. Outstanding incidental music by Toots Thielemans.

Sort of an earthier Love Story, Turkish Delight is a truly lovely, poignant film. Too sentimental for the jaded viewer, and slightly dated by its production design, it's a story about a young couple in Holland who fall in love, defy their parents, and actualize their artistic dreams only to be crushed by the fell hand of Fate. As with Verhoeven's other early work (Soldier of Orange, Spetters), it's got a wonderfully sociable, funny, lighthearted lust-for-life feeling that sets up the tragedy something awful.

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but had the bad luck to be up against Day For Night. Highly recommended, and not just because it has (imho) the best love scene since Siddhartha.

According to the Lonely Planet guidebook, Turkish Delight was invented in the late 18th century by Ali Muhiddin. He reportedly wanted an alternative to hard candy and wanted something that would be easier to chew and swallow. The result, which he called rahat lokum ("the comfortable morsel"), was popular with the sultan and his family, and so became popular throughout Ottoman society.

Tip for those visiting Turkey: if you purchase Turkish Delight while you are still traveling and decide to eat some of it en route, bring a Ziploc bag to keep it in. The most common coating I found was powdered sugar - lots of it. If you aren't going to finish the whole thing before putting it back in your suitcase, the bag will keep the powdered sugar off whatever is in your luggage. It is possible to keep this from happening without a bag, but it's just safer that way.

Also, do not let anyone rip you off when purchasing Turkish Delight (or anything else). This is common in informal markets, including the popular Grand Bazaar in Istanbul - tourists are everywhere and easily recognizable, so vendors are likely to charge foreigner tax at every opportunity.

Turkish Delight can sometimes be purchased in the United States - I have seen it at CVS drugstores, but it was not specifically marked with the name "Turkish Delight" (and they certainly didn't call it lokum!).

Hey, Edmond
Step up on my sled
Let me get into your head for a while
Let me fulfill your fondest wish
And take you back to my palace –
show you my sculpture garden.
Hey, Son of Adam
don't shift in your seat
or shiver.
I know it's cold outside
Cold in my eyes
But you've got some nice warmth deep down - now, don't you
Look at me. You can see that I'm not here to harm you
Can't you?
Oh, little man
Just sit here within your fur coat
And let me fix you some special
drop for your lips.
I can make a taste that you'll never stop craving.
Let me touch you with my hands
You're so warm and I'm so cold
Come on, Edmond,
Make me your queen
Make me your daughter of Eve
Make me your universe
I can make you warm for a while
I promise not to walk away
Or make you wait too long for another taste of this delight.
Ah, my little traitor
All I ask is that you turn your back
Walk away
Leave everything else behind
Don't you want to come with me?
It's all in your head, dear
and it makes you feel like some kind of sleepwalker inside a dream
Passing through row after row of unbelievable
spun into another world
wile the snow crunches under your shoes.
Remember that I've been here waiting for you
In the dreams you've had of being a man
Remember that I'm the one who has the keys to your desire
this delilght
And I've got plenty to spare… all you want for your redemption
and I'll leave your mouth sticky and sweet.
Close your eyes, dear
I'll get you some more

What is better than a piece of Turkish Delight? A glass of Turkish Delight!

This recipe makes one decent sized cocktail, or 4 or 5 small dessert wine-glass sized tasters.

Nouns

Verbs

  • Blend the raspberries, coconut milk and vodka together.
  • Pour into a cocktail shaker with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Shake and pour.
  • Garnish, if that's your style, with desecrated coconut sprinkled over the top.

This cocktail was based on a dairy-filled version created by Taliesin's Muse.

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