The Real Story of Sweets: Beyond Baklava

The most well-known sweets associated with Turkish Cuisine are Turkish Delight, and “baklava,” giving the impression that these may be the typical desserts eaten after meals. This, of course, is not true. Firstly the family of desserts is much richer than these two. Secondly these are not typical desserts as part of a main meal. For example, baklava and its relatives are usually eaten with coffee, as a snack or after a kebab dish. Let us now look at the main categories of sweets in the Turkish Cuisine.

By far, the most common dessert after a meal is fresh seasonal fruit that acquire their unique taste from an abundance of sun and old-fashioned ways of cultivation and transportation. Spring will start with strawberries, followed by cherries and apricots. Summer is marked by peaches, watermelons and melons; then, all kinds of grapes ripen in late summer, followed by green and purple figs, plums, apples, pears and quince. Oranges, mandarin oranges, and bananas are among the winter fruits. For most of the spring and summer, fruit is eaten fresh. Later, it may be used fresh or dried, in compotes, or made into jams and preserves. Among the preserves, the unique ones to taste are the quince marmalade, the sour cherry preserve, and the rose preserve (made of rose petals, which is not a fruit! ).

The most wonderful contribution of Turkish Cuisine to the family of desserts, that can easily be missed by casual explorers, are the milk desserts - the “muhallebi” family These are among the rare types of guilt-free puddings made with starch and rice flour, and, originally without any eggs or butter. When the occasion calls for even a lighter dessert, the milk can also be omitted; instead, the pudding may be flavored with citrus fruits, such as lemon or orange. The milk desserts include a variety of puddings, ranging from the very light and subtle pudding with rose-water to the milk pudding with strands of chicken breast.
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Desserts

One of the world-renowned desserts of Turkish cuisine is baklava. Baklava is made either with pistachio or with walnut. Turkish cuisine has a range of baklava like desserts which include şöbiyet, bülbül yuvası, saray sarması, sütlü nuriye, sarı burma etc.

Kadaif (’Kadayıf’) is another very common Turkish dessert which differs from baklava in that shredded dough/phyllo is used. There are different types of kadaif: tel (wire) or burma (wring) kadayıf, both of which can be prepared either with walnut or pistachio.

Although carrying the label “kadayıf”, ekmek kadayıfı is totally different from “tel kadayıf” (see [1]). Künefe and ekmek kadayıfı are specialities rich in syrup and butter. Both are usually combined with kaymak (clotted/scrambled butter) when served. Künefe contains wire kadayıf with a layer of melted cheese in between and it is served hot with pistachio or walnut.

Among milk-based desserts, the most popular ones are muhallebi, sütlaç (rice pudding), keşkül, kazandibi (meaning the bottom of “kazan” because of its burnt surface), and tavuk göğsü (a sweet, gelatinous, milk pudding dessert quite similar to kazandibi, to which very thinly peeled chicken breast is added to give a chewy texture).

Helva (halva): un helvası (flour helva is usually cooked after someone has died), irmik helvası (cooked with semolina and pine nuts), yaz helvası (made from walnut or almond[8]), tahin helvası (crushed sesame seeds), kos helva, pişmaniye (floss halva).
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Drinks and dessert
Some traditionally prepared ice cream to top off the meal concludes the Iranian feast.

The traditional drink accompanying Iranian dishes is called doogh. Doogh is a combination of yogurt, water (or soda) and dried mint. However many domestic soda beverages such as Zam Zam Cola and its competition Parsi Cola are widely consumed with meals. Both Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola have officially licensed bottling plants in Mashad, with their products not subject to U.S. sanctions against Iran, likely due to the licensing deals being worth less than economic investment limits under the sanctions. Other drinks are several types of especially prepared sherbets called Sharbat and khak sheer. One favorite is Aab-e Havij, alternately called havij bastani, carrot juice made into an ice cream float and garnished with cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices. There are also drinks that aren’t served with meals. These are Sheer Moz (banana milk shake), Aab Talebi (cantelope juice), and Aab Hendevaneh (watermelon juice). These drinks are commonly made in stands or kiosks in streets on summer days and on hiking trails. Aab Anaar (pomegranate juice) is also popular and has recently (2007) become popular in North America, specifically for its supposed health benefits including its high anti-oxidant levels (much higher than green tea). Although firm scientific evidence demonstrates that the touted health benefits of pomegranate are yet unproven and largely a marketing tactic by one U.S. company in particular.

There are many dessert dishes, ranging from Bastani-e Za’farāni (Persian Ice Cream with saffron, also called Bastani-e Akbar-Mashti, later on called Gol-o Bolbol as well) to the faludeh, a sort of frozen sorbet, made with thin starch noodles and rose water. Persian Ice Cream is flavored with saffron, rosewater, and chunks of heavy cream. There are also many types of sweets. The sweets divide into two categories: “Shirini Tar” (lit. moist sweets) and “Shirini Khoshk” (lit. dry sweets). The first category consists of French-inspired pastries with heavy whole milk whipped cream, glazed fruit toppings, tarts, custard-filled eclairs, and a variety of cakes. Some have an Iranian twist, such as the addition of pistachio, saffron, and walnuts. The second category consists of more traditional sweets: Shirini-e Berenji (a type of rice cookie), Shirini-e Nokhodchi (clover shaped, chickpea cookies), Kolouche (a large cookie usually with a walnut or fig filling), Shirini-e Keshmeshi (raisin and saffron cookies), Shirini-e Yazdi (muffins or cupcakes, originated in the city of Yazd), Nan-e kulukhi (a kind of large and thick cookie similar to clod inside without any filling), and more.
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HALVAH CREAM
Kachee
(Recipe Prepared by: N. Shaida)
Ingredients

500 g (1 Ib) sugar
500 g (1 Ib) unsalted butter
500 ml (1 pint) water
250 g (8 oz) plain flour
60 ml (2 fl oz) rosewater
1 tablespoon liquid saffron

Recipe

Bring water and sugar to the boil, and remove from heat when the sugar has dissolved. In a saucepan melt the butter and then stir in the flour to a smooth paste over a low heat. While stirring, slowly add the rosewater, syrup and liquid saffron. Continue stirring until the mixture is a thin smooth cream. If the mixture gets too thick, add a little warm water to it.  Serve warm.

SAFFRON RICE PUDDING
Shollehzard
(Recipe Prepared By: Shaida)

Ingredients

- 120g (4oz) pudding rice
- 180g (6oz ) sugar
- 1 teaspoon liquid saffron
- 30g (loz) solid vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- about 13/4 litres (4 pints) water
- garnish
- ground cinnamon
- almond and pistachio slivers (optional)

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Recipe

1. Pick over, wash and put the rice to boil in the water in a large saucepan over medium heat until very soft, adding more water as required and stirring from time to time. (Be careful it doesn’t boil over.)

2. Stir in the sugar, rose water and saffron and simmer till sugar is dissolved.

3. Reduce heat, melt the fat and stir in. Cover and simmer for three minutes.

4. Dish up into a serving bowl. when set, decorate with powdered cinnamon and, if desired, almond and pistachio slivers.