Thank you Andrew!

Andrew brought us the most delicious things from Turkey.  He had a long stop over in Istanbul and found goodies for us. 

We just finished the last Turkish Delight.  There were two different kinds.  One like the picture below was coated in corn starch.  There were three different flavors and colors.  

Yellow - Lemon  

Green - Mint  

Red - Rose

There were also nut Turkish Delight.  They weren't different colors but were very good.

 The candy was featured in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S Lewis. The White Witch tempted a character, Edmund, with Turkish Delight.  I have to admitt that we were all tempted by it . . . . . . . . but never did see the White Witch!

Here is the history of this candy:

Before the 18th century, honey and grape molasses were the only sweetening agents available to Turkish confectioners. With the introduction of sugar in the late 18th century, Turkey awakened to a new era of sweet making. Sugar brought with it the beginning of endless creative possibilities to Turkish confectioners. It was during this time that Turkish delight, one of the oldest known confections in the world, was created in the great kitchens of the Ottoman court.

A whimsical tale tells of the creation of turkish delight:

In an attempt to appease his many wives, a famous Sultan ordered his confectioner to create a unique sweet. Eager to please his Sultan, the confectioner blended a concoction of sugar syrup, various flavourings, nuts and dried fruits then bound them together with mastic (gum Arabic). After several attempts, a most delectable sweet emerged from the royal kitchens. The Sultan was so delighted with these delicious little gems that he proclaimed the sweet maker the court's chief confectioner!

And this is the story of how Turkish delight was created. Hereafter, a plate of Turkish delight was served at daily feasts in the Ottoman court.

Turkish delight was unveiled to the west in the 19th century. During his travels to Istanbul, an unknown British traveler became very fond of the Turkish delicacies, purchased cases of "rahat lokoum" and he shipped them to Britain under the name Turkish delight.

It is believed that Picasso enjoyed Turkish delight daily to improve his concentration while Napoleon and Winston Churchill relished pistachio filled Turkish delights.

Andrew also brought several kinds of Baklava.  Oh my - - - - it rivals chocolate!

Thank-you  thank-you Andrew for thinking of us all the way in Istanbul!  We still are licking our lips. 

Andrew 6 years old!