I love Turkish Food! Was living in Istanbul for five month before moving to Sydney, Australia. What I love most is Lukum or Turkish Delights. The other week I received a recipe of my dear buddy Mehmet from FS Istanbul upon my request. After playing around with it, more errors and more fine tuning I was able to get some different Lukum made up and to my surprise they taste better than any other I have eaten so far!

Food historian Reay Tannahill suggests that the Persian confection ahbisa (a sweet jelly) was the ancestor of Turkish rahat lokum, the long name for the sweet. According to the Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir Confectioners company of Istanbul, founded in 1777, lokum has been produced in Turkey since the 15th century. Originally, honey and molasses were used as sweeteners, and water and flour were the binding agents. The recipe for lokum as we know it today, using the new ingredients of sugar and starch, was invented and popularized by the Hacı Bekir company during the 19th century.

Lokum was introduced to the west in the 19th century. An unknown Briton became very fond of the delicacy during his travels to Istanbul, and purchased cases of lokum, to be shipped back to Britain under the name Turkish Delight. It became a major delicacy not only in Britain, but throughout continental Europe.

Everybody is getting on the bandwagon of Macaroons; just look at Pierre Herme’s website! Mine, influenced by Arabic ingredients, are made with Cardamom, Rose water, green coffee and Dates.

I get used to fruit salad & espresso!