What are eastern countries associated with? Of course, with national sweets. And SKyprus is no exception. I always scold myself that I can walk along the same streets and never go into some shops. But in vain!!! Because they contain a lot of interesting and useful things. Such as, oriental sweets shop "SWEETY" in the harbor of Kyrenia, which was a great discovery and surprise for me. The kind owner treated us to his delicacies and told us where and what they get.
The store has a lot of products from Turkey, but they prepare all the loose sweets themselves at their factory in Nicosia. They have three stores in total, one in Kyrenia and two in Nicosia. It turned out that products in the tourist place itself are cheaper than at fairs, markets and festivals. The owner also said that in their Turkish delight they use natural sugar, and not its substitutes, so the delicacy is of higher quality and more expensive.
The assortment simply amazed me, because from a display case with Turkish delight you only expect Turkish delight))) but more on that later. And in the store all prices are indicated, they are the same for everyone))))
Nuts, sesame seeds, honey, raisins, candied fruits and spices - vanilla, ginger, licorice - are widely used in the preparation of oriental sweets. They are also distinguished by the fact that oriental sweets could be stored for quite a long time in a warm climate, and they did not spoil as a result.
The history of oriental sweets goes back many centuries. The exotic delicacies of the Far East were unknown to Europeans for a long time. They appeared in Europe around the 17th century. XVIII centuries, they were served in the richest houses as exquisite delicacies.
Oriental sweets brought to the court of the European king as a gift were best sign attention and cost were equal to the cost of spices and precious stones. They have an atypical tasty, pleasant aroma. This has become a traditional gift bought by tourists in eastern countries. Many who travel to Turkey, Greece and Cyprus strive to try this taste and feel the sensations of this country.
The beautiful names Turkish delight, baklava, halva, sherbet, all these oriental sweets attract not only with their taste, but also with their names. And kind sellers strive to treat you to a piece of this or that delicacy.
Let's move on to the store's assortment. I was simply killed by the amount of “I want” in my head. Entire shelves of Turkish teas, all kinds of sweets, all kinds of jars, a sea of spices, etc.
I'll start with tea. I once saw comments from people who were looking for loose tea (not in bags). So, there’s a whole shelf of tea on the left side. Tea bags, a million flavors, natural and non-natural tea for brewing (with the addition of flavoring agents), different weights, and also as a gift (for tourists). Honestly, my eyes widened. But I made my choice and Murat helped us a lot, pointing out the most natural one)))
Let's move on to sweets. Turkish delight and fruit and nut desserts.
One of the most popular Turkish sweets. The recipe for Turkish delight was first compiled in the 18th century. Turkish court pastry chef Ali Bekir. Originally, Turkish delight was made from rose water, sugar and starch. Over time, they began to add chocolate, nuts, pistachios, lemon zest, honey, cinnamon, fruits, and coconut flakes. Usually Turkish delight is prepared in cube shape and in the form of rolls. It can be whole and multi-layered, as well as in the form of a sausage stuffed with walnuts, covered with grape juice, thickened with flour. In Turkey it is called “cevizli sucuk”, this type of Turkish delight is familiar to everyone under the Georgian name “churchkhela”. There may also be other types.
I already said that they sell their sweets by weight. This is also convenient because you can try everything. They are responsible for their quality with their heads))) and only put in them natural products. There are all kinds of colored sausages on display. Made from natural pomegranate juice, nuts, rose petals, etc. I want to try absolutely everything))) But after the first or second bite it becomes cloying in my mouth. The prudent owners provided a water cooler.
Baklava
According to historians, the first “baklava” appeared in the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the court chef of the Topkapi Palace first prepared it for Sultan Mehmed Fatih, the Sultan was so amazed by its unusual taste that he ordered the method of preparing baklava to be included in the palace recipe book.
Baklava is prepared from the finest puff pastry with nuts and soaked in sherbet. Depending on the filling of the baklava, there are “cevizli” - baklava with walnuts, “fıstıklı” - with pistachios, “fındıklı” - with hazelnuts. There is baklava with the addition of cocoa or chocolate.
Milk is added to baklava sherbet “Sutlu Nuriye”, and hazelnuts are used for the filling. Due to the milk, its taste becomes unusually delicate and not so cloyingly sweet.
Halva.
Almost everyone knows about this delicacy. Prepared from caramel mass and grated oil seeds. There are several types: peanut, nut, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, sunflower, tahini (sesame seeds).
Pishmanie
A delicate delicacy, slightly reminiscent in structure cotton candy, but it looks like a ball of woolen thread. It is prepared from flour and a viscous mass obtained by prolonged boiling of sugar syrup. The most interesting thing begins when several confectioners begin to knead the resulting mass, stretching it, turning it into the thinnest threads.
Cezeriye
“Jezeriye” is prepared from carrot and pomegranate juice with the addition of nuts, sprinkled with coconut flakes.
Some oriental sweets in the old days were prepared for several days and even weeks, but when they finally ended up festive table, then dear guests were at the peak of gastronomic bliss.
Today we cannot afford to stand at the stove for 3 days in a row to prepare divine oriental desserts, so we were looking for modern, simplified versions of ancient recipes. Enjoy luxurious baklava, kozinaki or poppy seed pie everyone can do it!
TURKISH SWEETS
Honey baklava with figs and almonds
Ingredients:
packaging of ready-made yeast puff pastry
150 g butter
100 ml honey
150 g dried figs
150 g almonds
100 g brown sugar
100 ml milk
flour - for rolling
almonds - for decoration
How to prepare honey baklava with figs and almonds:
Thaw the dough at room temperature. Divide it into 12 parts. Lightly sprinkle the working surface with flour and roll out the layers very thinly, ideally 1–1.5 mm.
Melt the butter. Grind the figs and nuts twice through a meat grinder and mix with brown sugar.
Place the layers on top of each other in a baking dish, brushing with butter and sprinkling every third layer with brown sugar and the fig-nut sugar mixture.
Align the edges with a sharp, heavy knife and cut the workpiece into diamonds. Brush with remaining melted butter.
Decorate each diamond with an almond. Bake for 25–30 minutes at 180°C. If upper layer If it starts to burn, you need to cover the baking sheet with foil.
Place the honey in a saucepan and heat over very low heat until it boils evenly, pour in the milk and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
Pour plenty of syrup over the finished baklava and let it soak well for 3-4 hours.
Baklava from Alexander Seleznev and according to the Turkish recipe.
Shaker delight
Ingredients:
4 yolks
360 g flour
300 g vanilla powdered sugar
8 tbsp. spoons of ghee
0.2 teaspoons saffron
0.2 teaspoons turmeric
30 ml cognac or brandy
How to prepare Shaker Delight:
Pour cognac over saffron and turmeric and leave overnight. Grind the soft melted butter with a spatula or whisk until significantly lightened.
Grind the egg yolks thoroughly with powdered sugar, mix with butter, cognac and grind again.
Sift the flour and gradually combine with the butter-egg mixture. Knead into an elastic, slightly sticky dough. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide the chilled dough into pieces the size of a walnut, lightly press them down and place the cakes on a baking sheet and make strips with a fork.
Bake for 8–10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C. Cool. If desired, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar before serving.
Revani: soaked cake
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
300 ml natural yogurt
150 ml sunflower oil without smell
240 g flour
200 g semolina
10 g baking powder
700 g sugar
1 packet of baking powder
800 ml water
juice of a large lemon
50 g honey
How to prepare revani:
Beat eggs with 200 g of sugar in a deep bowl until smooth. Add yogurt to the egg mixture, alternately semolina and sifted flour with baking powder, without stopping the beating process, pour in the oil and mix again.
Grease a baking sheet with high sides with vegetable oil. Pour the dough into the prepared baking sheet and bake the pie at 170°C until a uniform golden brown crust forms.
Mix water and remaining sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook over low heat until tested on a thick thread (cool a little syrup, take a large one and index fingers and stretch a little, a thick thread should stretch between your fingers), add honey and lemon juice.
Cut the finished pie into portions and pour generously of syrup, let soak for 4-5 hours, serve cold.
Lokma points: donuts
Ingredients:
250 g flour
200 ml water
1 large egg
2 tbsp. heaped spoons of sugar
0.2 teaspoons salt
packet of dry yeast
1 liter of oil - for deep frying
Syrup:
800 ml water
500 g sugar
juice of a large lemon
50 g honey
zest of one lemon
How to prepare lokma points:
Mix yeast with sifted flour. Lightly beat the egg with a fork. Knead the dough like you would for pancakes, add water gradually, the dough should have the consistency of thick sour cream.
Cover with film and place in a warm place for 30 minutes. For syrup, mix water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat until a thick thread is tested (cool a little syrup, take it with your thumb and forefinger and stretch it a little, a thick thread should stretch between your fingers), add honey, zest and lemon juice.
Place the risen dough with a wet spoon to fry in a heated fryer; immediately after frying, send a portion of donuts into the syrup, where they are soaked while the next batch is fried.
Transfer the finished donuts to a separate bowl and serve hot.
Tulumba
Ingredients:
30 g margarine
0.5 glass of water or milk
230 g flour
4 eggs
0.5 cups vegetable oil
Syrup:
1/3 cup water
2 cups sugar
juice of half a lemon
How to cook tulumba:
Boil the syrup for 15 minutes, remove from heat, leave to cool. Melt margarine in a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil, add flour and mix well.
Cook for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring. Remove from heat, let cool, mix with eggs and let stand for an hour.
Place the dough in pastry bag with a serrated tip with a diameter of 2–2.5 cm, deposit 5–6 cm long sticks into boiling water vegetable oil and fry them until golden brown.
Place the tulumba in the cooled syrup for 15 minutes. After this, place on a plate and serve.
What oriental sweets do you prepare? Share your family recipes in the comments!
GEORGIAN SWEETS
Kozinaki
Neither New Year, and Christmas is not complete in Georgia without nuts in honey caramel. For real Georgians, this is a taste of childhood, creating a feeling of celebration. According to family traditions, children are involved in the sacrament of preparing these sweets, passing the recipe from generation to generation.
Ingredients:
1 kg peeled walnuts
3 tbsp. spoons of powdered sugar
500 - 700 g honey
How to cook kozinaki:
Heat the peeled nuts in a frying pan, then chop them fairly coarsely sharp knife. Pour the honey into a low saucepan or jam bowl and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. To find out if the honey is ready, take a drop for testing - if it does not spread on the saucer, the desired consistency has been achieved.
Pour nuts into boiling honey and, stirring vigorously, cook until you feel a characteristic aroma (about 10-15 minutes).
In the middle of cooking, add powdered sugar - then the kozinaki will turn out crispier and will not stick to your teeth.
Place the resulting mass on a wooden, well-moistened cold water board. Take a wooden rolling pin and, having moistened it generously, quickly roll out the nut-honey mixture into a layer 1 cm thick.
Cut the layer into diamonds, constantly wetting the knife in water. Then leave to dry for at least a day.
Georgian halva
This simple and inexpensive delicacy is prepared both on holidays and on weekdays. Unlike the more familiar Arabic version, Georgian halva is more shortbread than a dense nut mass. And what cookies! Delicate, crumbly, crispy, literally melting in your mouth. Just the name makes it sweeter for everyone who tries it.
Ingredients:
250 g melted butter
500 g corn flour
400 g sugar
200 ml water
1 cup almonds and/or walnuts
How to cook:
Prepare syrup from water and half sugar. To make it smooth, add water to the sugar and heat over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, but do not stir.
Sift the flour into a bowl. Melt the butter over low heat, add flour, add the remaining sugar, stir wooden spoon and fry for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly.
The finished flour should be golden and crumbly. Remove the flour from the heat, mix with the crushed nuts and, stirring constantly, pour in sugar syrup until a homogeneous thick mass is formed.
Return the pan to the stove and fry the whole mixture over very low heat for several minutes. Cool slightly, place on a clean baking sheet or work surface, and use a rolling pin to form an even layer 4–5 cm thick.
Let cool completely and cut into 4-5cm diamonds.
Layered pie with nut filling “Bagrationi”
There is a funny story associated with this pie. According to legend, the recipe was kept in the royal family of Bagrationi, starting from the 15th century. In any case, this is what the owner of the Sayat-Nova coffee shop said, which at the end of the century before last was considered the most secular place in Tiflis. From this legendary coffee shop the pie “went to the people”, and in Soviet time When any puff dessert was routinely called “Napoleon”, a completely strange name was assigned to the nut cake – “Napoleon Bagrationi”. But we still decided to abandon such a historical oxymoron.
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 eggs
1 tbsp. spoon of wine vinegar
500 ml water
250 g melted butter
1 cup flour
0.5 tsp salt
1 yolk
2 teaspoons milk or water
Filling:
2 cups shelled walnuts
1 cup raisins
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
How to cook layered cake with nut filling “Bagrationi”:
Mix eggs, wine vinegar, salt well with water. Gradually introducing sifted flour into the mixture, knead a not very stiff dough.
Divide it into four parts. Roll out each part as thin as possible, brush with melted butter, fold into an envelope, and brush with butter again.
Do the operation four times and place the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then roll out each piece thinly again, brush with melted butter, fold into an envelope, and again roll out thinly to the shape of a baking sheet.
Place each layer one by one on a baking sheet, pierce it with a fork in several places and bake.
Before baking, brush the last, fourth layer with egg yolk, diluted milk or water to create a golden crust.
During breaks, while the dough is resting, prepare the filling: mince peeled walnuts, raisins and sugar twice. You can add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the filling.
Layer the finished cakes with nut filling. Place the browned crust on top. You can serve the pie whole, or you can cut it into diamonds.
Kada
The dough for homemade puff pastry is sometimes kneaded with matsoni - this makes it lighter, with a cottage cheese flavor, but you can add yogurt or just water. And the filling is the same everywhere - flour, fried with butter and sugar. Traditionally, kada is baked in the form of snails, rolls or rings.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1.5 cups flour (about 200 g) + a little more for dusting the baking sheet
100 g butter
0.5 glasses of water
1/2 egg and 3 teaspoons milk - for greasing the dough
salt - on the tip of a knife
Filling:
3 tbsp flour
1 cup of sugar
How to prepare kada:
Sift the flour into a mound, make a well in the middle and pour in water and salt. Quickly knead the dough and roll it into a ball.
Roll out the ball into a layer 1 cm thick, generously grease with butter, fold the dough into four and let stand in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Then roll it out again, fold it into quarters and leave it in the refrigerator again for 10 minutes. Repeat the same 2-3 times.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling: pour flour into a frying pan, fry it, stirring, until pinkish, then add butter and fry lightly.
Remove from heat, immediately add sugar to flour, mix thoroughly and cool. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Ready dough divide into two parts. Roll each into a layer approximately 1 cm thick. Place half of the filling in an even layer on each layer and carefully roll into a long, fairly dense roll.
Roll each roll into a snail shape. Brush the top with egg beaten with milk. Place the snail on a floured baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Kopeshia
Pumpkin steamed in Megrelian style. A healthy, nutritious dish, flavored with cherry or walnut jam - a wonderful invention of ancestors who knew a lot about ideal flavor combinations.
Ingredients:
1 kg sweet butternut squash
jam or honey - for serving
How to prepare kopeshia:
Cut the pumpkin into large pieces, remove seeds and peel and cook in a double boiler. Or place in a special steaming pan and place over medium heat.
After 15 minutes the pumpkin is ready. Serve pumpkin with your favorite jam or honey.
ARMENIAN SWEETS
Bagarj: poppy seed cake
Bagarj is loved not only for its juicy poppy seed filling, but also for its sugar dough, kneaded in a special way - tender, sweet, melting in the mouth.
Ingredients:
20 g yeast
2 eggs
30 g butter
150 g sugar
450 g flour
1 tbsp. spoon of melted butter pinch of salt
Filling:
100 g poppy seeds
2 tbsp. spoons of sugar
How to prepare bagarge:
Dissolve the yeast in 0.5 tbsp. warm (not hot) boiled water. Add a pinch of salt. Grind the egg with 150 g of sugar until smooth.
Mix the reconstituted yeast with the egg-sugar mixture and melted butter. Gradually add flour to the mixture.
Knead the dough for 15–20 minutes. Cover the dough with a napkin and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. Then knead again and leave for another 1-1.5 hours to rise.
To make the filling, pour boiling water over the poppy seeds in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain the water and scald the poppy seeds again with boiling water.
Drain the water and squeeze out the poppy seed. Add sugar and grind with a wooden masher until it dissolves in the poppy seeds and the mixture becomes homogeneous. (You can grind poppy seeds and sugar in a blender.)
Divide the dough into two unequal parts. Roll out most of it into a round cake. Place it on a baking sheet greased with melted butter.
Using a fork, draw crisscrossing lines onto the flatbread and brush liberally with beaten egg. Divide the smaller portion of the dough in half and roll into two long flagella 0.5 cm thick.
Intertwine them and place them along the edge of the cake. Brush with egg. Place the filling in the middle of the flatbread and spread over the entire surface.
Preheat the oven to 160 - 180°C. Bake the pie for 20-30 minutes. Cut the finished bagarge into portions and serve.
Gata
Gata is a crumbly layer cake with sugar filling, one of the most common confectionery products in Armenia. Prepared for all holidays and certainly for a wedding: the bride distributes gata to her bridesmaids, who dress her in a wedding dress.
Ingredients:
8 cups flour (a little more than 1 kg)
2 cups warm boiled water
20 g yeast
20 g sugar
200 g butter
400 g melted butter
400 g powdered sugar
4 yolks
How to prepare gata:
Dissolve yeast in warm water, add sugar. Gradually add 5 tbsp to the mixture. sifted flour. Melt 200 g butter.
Pour into the dough. Knead thoroughly. Place the dough in a warm place, cover with a towel and leave for 40 minutes.
For the filling, grind 300 g of melted butter with powdered sugar. Add the remaining flour little by little.
Continue grinding until you get a homogeneous crumbly mass. Heat the remaining ghee.
Place the dough on a floured table, knead again and divide in half. For each half of the dough, follow steps 6–7.
Shape the dough into a ball, roll it out to about 2mm thick and brush with melted butter. Fold the layer in half and roll out again.
Grease the resulting layer with oil again, fold it in half and roll it out. Repeat all these operations 4-6 times.
Roll the resulting layer of dough into a roll and cut into 4 parts. Roll each part of the roll into a round cake the size of a dessert plate.
Place 1/8 of the filling in the center of each flatbread, bring the edges together, shape into a ball and carefully, being careful not to tear the dough, roll out into a flatbread 1-2 cm thick.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking sheet with melted butter. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet, seam side down.
Using a fork, apply a design in the form of diagonal intersecting lines onto each flatbread. Brush the cakes generously with yolk and bake for 30–40 minutes.
Serve the gata immediately after baking, warm or cooled. You can store it for several days.
Nazuk with walnuts
Nazuk is an ancient Armenian sweet dish, the recipe of which is passed down in families from generation to generation. Each housewife prepares nazuk in her own way: with a salty or sweet filling, some add vanillin, while others believe that real nazuk is prepared only with saffron. Nazuk with walnuts is one of the most delicious options this dessert.
Ingredients:
Dough:
400 g flour + some flour for dusting
10 g dry yeast
1 glass of fatty matsun or 250 g of sour cream
200 g butter
1 tbsp. spoon of melted butter
2 yolks - for greasing
a pinch of salt
Filling:
200 g butter room temperature
300 g sugar
200 g flour
70 g walnuts
a pinch of saffron (or 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom)
How to cook nazuk with walnuts:
Sift the flour, add dry yeast and salt, mix. Pour in the melted butter, stirring the mixture constantly with a spoon.
Add matsun or sour cream and knead the dough. It should be uniform and elastic. Wrap the dough in a napkin or cling film and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, or preferably overnight.
For the filling, grind the butter in a bowl with a spoon or wooden spatula, add sugar, saffron (cardamom) and continue grinding until the sugar is completely dissolved. (You can use a mixer or blender).
Sift the flour, add to the spicy butter-sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Grind the nuts in a mortar or blender.
Add to the filling, mix. Divide the dough and filling into 4 parts. Roll out one part of the dough on a table sprinkled with flour into a rectangular layer 2–3 mm thick.
Place one part of the filling on the layer, retreating slightly from the edges. Smooth out the filling and carefully roll the layer into a roll.
Press the roll down a little with your hands or a rolling pin. Cut the roll into 8-10 slices with a sharp knife. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking sheet with melted butter. Place the roll slices on a baking sheet, brush with beaten yolk and bake for 20–30 minutes.
Place the finished nazuk on a plate in several layers and serve.
Yugatert
Jugatert – squares of puff pastry dipped in honey. Puff pastry is used in many Armenian sweets, but here it is special: semi-brewed, mixed with milk. If you managed to get real high-mountain Armenian honey, you will have the opportunity to experience the true taste and aroma of jugatert.
Ingredients:
500 g flour
100 g melted butter
3 eggs
100 ml milk
1 teaspoon soda
150 g honey
How to prepare jugatert:
Sift the flour into a deep bowl. Beat the eggs with a whisk or mixer. Melt the butter. Make a small well in the center of the flour mound, pour in the beaten eggs and half the melted butter.
Stir. Boil milk, add soda, stir. Pour into the dough in a thin stream, stirring continuously with a spoon.
Knead well. Roll out the dough into a thin layer (no thicker than 1.5 mm). Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a thin layer of flour.
Fold the dough into an envelope, folding the edges toward the center. Roll out again, grease with butter, sprinkle with flour and fold into an envelope.
Repeat all these operations 6 times. IN last time Roll out the dough into a layer approximately 4 mm thick. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Grease a baking sheet or large skillet with oil. Place the rolled out flatbread and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Place the finished cake on a flat, hard surface and cut into small squares with a sharp knife.
Melt honey in a water bath. Place the squares on a plate and pour honey over them.
Nut halva
Such a popular oriental sweet as halva has existed for thousands of years, and during this time different countries Thousands of ways to prepare it have been invented. Armenian nut halva is not a very ordinary version of this dish. The nuts are taken whole and boiled in milk syrup. If you try this dessert warm, before the milk mass has hardened, you can fully experience its delicate consistency and creamy nutty taste, shaded with cinnamon. When cooled, the halva becomes crumbly and acquires a richer aroma.
Ingredients:
400 ml milk
200 g sugar
20 g corn starch
200 g walnuts
100 g butter
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
How to prepare walnut halwa:
Stir starch into 50 ml of cold milk. Pour the remaining milk into the pan, add sugar, stir.
Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally, and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Pour in the diluted starch in a thin stream while stirring constantly.
Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Roast the walnuts until they turn golden brown.
Place the finished nuts in a saucepan with milk syrup. Mix well. Place the pan over low heat and cover tightly with a lid to prevent steam from escaping. (You can tie a towel around the lid or use a pressure cooker or slow cooker instead of a saucepan.)
Simmer the nut mixture over very low heat for about 30 minutes. Then add the cinnamon and gently stir the mixture, being careful not to crush the nuts.
Place the finished nut halva in bowls or muffin tins (paper, metal or silicone).
This dessert can be served either hot or chilled.
Recipes are taken from the books of the Eksmo publishing house “Armenian Cuisine”, “Georgian Cuisine Recipes You Love”, “Turkish Sweets”
In ancient times, sweets in the East were attributed magical power. In those days, sugar was rare and honey and sweet fruit juices were added to sweets. And the making of sweets was carried out by healers, pharmacists, and later the profession of confectioner appeared. So the word “candy” comes from pharmaceutical jargon. In the 16th century, this was the name given to candied or processed fruits that were used for medicinal purposes. An indispensable component of oriental sweets is rose water (essence from rose petals). It is used in the preparation of most delicacies. But as a skin refresher, rose water was used in Ancient Persia. Healing properties Roses were also described by Hippocrates and Ibn Sina (Avicenna). Even today, some sweets can only be bought in pharmacies. For example, in Iran, in numerous “sweet” shops you cannot buy one of the main oriental sweets - sherbet (sharbat). This ancient and sweet remedy for sore throat and fever is sold in pharmacies. 
In Europe, oriental sweets began to appear in the 15th century. Due to their high price, they were served as gourmet delicacies in the homes of aristocrats. But with the development of trade, sweets become available to anyone. Of the oriental sweets known in Europe, perhaps the most ancient are baklava and halva. More than two and a half thousand years ago, baklava was prepared in the territories of modern Greece and Turkey. These states are still arguing about the primacy of the invention of baklava. However, the first written mention of baklava is in a cookbook, which is kept in a museum in Istanbul (Turkey) and dates back to August 1453. This is probably why many Turkish scientists consider the town of Gaziantep to be the birthplace of baklava, and the patent office issued this city a patent for the production of this sweet. 
One way or another, almost every country has its own recipe for making baklava, and even in neighboring villages the recipes may differ from each other. And the traditions of baking baklava have developed in different countries. For example, in Iran she played important role in the wedding ceremony. The bride baked baklava for the groom's parents, as if saying that she would feed her husband well. Halva has been known in Ancient Persia since the Achaemenid dynasty (558-330 BC). In the modern world, there are two types of halva. One type is made from ground oil seeds or nuts. The three main components of such halva: paste from seeds or nuts, caramel mass or honey and the so-called foaming agent (licorice root or prickly root, which is also called soap root). Another type of halva is made from flour or vegetables. The main ingredients are flour (usually wheat), vegetables (for example, carrots or sweet potatoes), sugar, water and ghee or butter. 
Sometimes other components are added to halva: semolina, pea flour, milk, spices (cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron), eggs, fruits and various others. In Eastern Europe, halva made from sunflower seeds is most widespread. The preparation of halva requires special ovens and tools, and confectioners-kandalatchi must have special skills (for example, stretching a hot foamy mass). Therefore, preparing halva at home is very difficult. However, there are recipes for homemade. Another popular sweet in Europe is lokum. This sweetness is more than five hundred years old. If Turkish delight is made with sugar, then it is sheker delight (in Turkish, sheker means sugar), and if it is made with flour, then it is Turkish delight. The essential components of Turkish delight are starch, rose water and agar-agar (a vegetable substitute for gelatin). At the end of the 18th century, confectioner Ali Muhiddin Haji Bekir created several new varieties of Turkish delight by adding nuts. Turkish delight came to Europe in 1897. It was then that Mehmed Muhiddin, the grandson of Haji Bekir, brought this sweetness to an exhibition in Brussels. 
One of the varieties of Turkish delight is called “lez”. This sweet made from pistachios, cardamom, granulated sugar and rose water is very popular in Iran. Lez can also be prepared with the addition of almonds or coconut. 
Europeans liked lokum so much that soon a similarity to this sweet appeared - marmalade. This name comes from the Portuguese marmelo - quince, because marmalade was originally made from quince juice. A similar story happened with sweets, which the French called grillage. In the East it was halva made from coarsely ground nuts. In countries former USSR Chocolate-covered grilled meat is very popular 
In Turkey, in the Havran region, Khoshmerim, a special cheese dessert, has been prepared for five hundred years. According to legend, the girl prepared this dessert for her husband. He just had time to try it when his wife exclaimed: “Hoş mu erim?” (“Do you like it, my husband?”). It was this exclamation that gave the name to the sweet, which is the symbol of Havran. 
In almost any store you can buy various types of cookies, which have quite European names. However, like marmalade and grilled meats, many of them came to us from the East. For example, cookies in the shape of figures - stars, bunnies, crescents, men and the like - are called shakers. And cookies in the shape of flowers with jam or preserves in the middle are kurabiye. 
A very popular cookie in Afghanistan is called “kolchae khatai yo abe dandan”, which literally means “cookie that melts in your mouth”. For preparation, flour, powdered sugar, butter, pistachios and cardamom are used. The cookies turn out crumbly and really melt in your mouth. 
Yes, many types of sweets and cookies are known and loved in Europe, but pies are less known or unknown at all. For example, kyata is the national confectionery of Transcaucasia. These are layer cakes or pies filled with butter, flour and powdered sugar. 
And in the most popular collection of oriental tales, “A Thousand and One Nights,” the story about Maruf the Shoemaker mentions kunafa with bee honey. It is a sweet made from nuts wrapped in thin vermicelli or kadaif dough. 
Two types of kunafa are popular in Syria: mabrume - vermicelli with nuts and white yogurt and nablusiya - vermicelli with hot cheese, drizzled with syrup. Kunafa with semolina cream is popular on the Arabian Peninsula. In Turkey, kadaif dough is first prepared for kunafa. Then they put some of the dough on a baking sheet, add the filling, cover it with dough on top and bake - this is what you get: a pie. But even here everything is not so simple. Kunafa is also the name of the dough, and kadaif is the name of the sweet. Most likely, such confusion is due to the peculiarities of translation. 
It is common knowledge that the most popular drink in the East is tea. The teahouse serves sweets for tea,
It is often drunk as a snack with sugar. However, there is sweetness that can replace sugar. It is called “tut” and is prepared from almond powder, chopped pistachios, cardamom powder, powdered sugar and rose water. Some types of sweets are prepared for the holidays. For example, jelabi is a national sweet from Afghanistan. It is being prepared for the spring holiday of Navruz. But most of all, a wide variety of sweet dishes are prepared in the month of Ramadan. Every evening at sunset, it is time to break the fast after the day's fast. Housewives prepare delicious dishes to please relatives and friends. Served on the table aromatic soups, and delicious meat dishes, and, of course, traditional sweets. 
In different countries they prepare baklava, Turkish delight and many other sweets. But there are also those that are prepared only during Ramadan. So, for example, in Turkey it is gullach - soft, milk-soaked layers of rice dough sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. On the Arabian Peninsula they prepare shbakiya - a sweet made from sesame and butter with the addition of cinnamon, anise, and saffron. In the United Arab Emirates they prepare semolina cake with pistachios and almonds. In some recipes for this cake, the authors advise adding pine nuts instead of almonds. 
Zulbia, okra and gush-e fil are popular in Iran. Zulbia is prepared from yogurt, starch, flour, butter, with the addition of saffron. Okra is a very easy to make sweet made from flour, eggs and butter. Gush-e fil, like zulbia, is prepared on a yogurt base with the addition of eggs and flour. What all these dishes have in common is that after cooking, they are dipped in a thick syrup of sugar, honey, rose water and lemon juice. 
In Lebanon, during Ramadan, they prepare jaleb - a compote of dried dates, with the addition of raisins, almonds and pine nuts. And as for sweets, they serve ataif - pancakes with cream and cottage cheese, doused with sugar syrup. The month of Ramadan ends with the holiday of breaking the fast (Turkic: Eid al-Fitr), for which these and other sweets are also prepared. And in Turkey, on this day there is also a sugar festival - Sheker Bayram. 
Sweets great amount and it is impossible to even simply list their names within the article. In conclusion, I would like to quote folk wisdom: “ Various dishes are called food, and sweets are called delicacies. And they don’t eat the delicacy, they enjoy the delicacy”...
You can close your eyes, open your mouth, take a bite small piece and it immediately becomes clear that you are tasting an oriental sweetness. This is a special, exquisite, unique pleasure. And now it seems that you are sitting in beautiful palace on soft pillows, you listen to amazing oriental tales, and next to you, Aladdin’s magic lamp glitters with its golden side...
Sophisticated people of the East know how to please all five senses, so it is not surprising that meals are a real ritual for them. And special importance is attached to sweets, which are usually not just eaten, but enjoyed every second of this pleasure.
People in the East learned to make all sorts of delicacies a long time ago. Confectioners literally turned themselves inside out, creating new recipes - initially, sweets were prepared exclusively for the nobility, and everyone understands what happens if the Sultan, Tsar or Padishah does not like the dish.
But not only palace chefs knew how to prepare desserts in the East. The healers followed in their footsteps. Many ingredients in recipes are healthy in themselves, but if you add a medicinal product and mask its bitter taste with sweetness... The Arabs sincerely believed that sweets were good for health, cured illnesses and even helped to conceive children.
There are never too many women
According to the centuries-tested standard, an oriental beauty should have a slight heavenly top part bodies and a solid, absolutely earthly bottom. The curve of the hip is a beautiful line, so there was no fear in feasting on the sweet beauties from the harem. But we don’t advise European girls to get too carried away with oriental desserts, since some people, by overeating on them, end up in a fairy tale, while others end up on a diet.
Kanda Latchi Art
The title of kanda-latchi is given to Iranian masters who know how to prepare real halva. Kanda-latchi are respected people, custodians of an ancient recipe (as far as we have been able to find out, in Ancient Persia they enjoyed halva back in the 5th century BC). Nowadays, handmade halva can only be found in Iran itself, as well as in Turkey and Afghanistan. But if you're lucky, you'll appreciate its true taste.
There are many ways to prepare halva. It is usually made with sugar or honey, adding licorice or soap root and always nuts or seeds containing oil. Other recipes also use flour, semolina, carrots and even sweet potatoes. But the classic is tahini (sesame) halva.
In Russia, having mastered the production of this sweet, they prefer to use sunflower seeds that are easily accessible to us. Choosing fresh halva in our store is not very difficult. It should be light, easily crumble and without any moisture or oil stains. Otherwise, the product may “delight” you with a rancid taste.
By the way, the name of this delicacy comes from the word “khalyawa”, translated from Arabic meaning “sweetness” (here I casually want to think about the origin of the Russian concept of “freebie”).
“O Turkish delight of my heart!”
Do you remember this famous compliment from Hottabych? The genie knew exactly what he was talking about - Turkish delight is truly magnificent! Turkish delight (lokum in Turkic) is made on the basis of flour (shaker delight) or sugar (Turkish delight). The last name (rahat-lokum - “convenient piece”) is better known to us. This is a delicate delicacy, reminiscent of marmalade and generously sprinkled with powdered sugar.
One legend says that Turkish delight appeared thanks to the whims of the Istanbul Sultan and the efforts of a skilled pastry chef. The ruler of the Ottoman Empire pressed his cooks in every possible way, demanding from them a variety of sweets. His desire to try a new taste was almost obsessive. And then pastry chef Ali Muhiddin Haji Bekir (his store still pleases sweet tooths in Istanbul) came up with this recipe.
He cooked a mixture of water, sugar, honey, starch, crushed almonds and rose petal syrup, let it harden and cut it into small pieces, sprinkled with powdered sugar. The Sultan was delighted, and soon the divine sweetness became the most popular among the Turkish nobility (the Sultan's harem, of course, was also pleased). Turkish delight was even kept in boxes like a jewel!
Subsequently, the recipe for the dessert became more varied: they began to make Turkish delight with various nuts, fruit juices and purees, syrups, cinnamon, cocoa, baked cream, coconut flakes...
You need to choose Turkish delight like this: soft sweet pieces should be elastic, clear in shape and shiny when cut, and not sticky or shriveled.
For a hot day
The crumbly nutty fudge sold in our stores under the name “sherbet” is not sherbet! In fact, it is a thick soft drink or something similar in consistency to ice cream (in Europe it is called sorbet). In some places, sherbet is boiled down to a jam. It is made from fruit juice and puree, with the addition of sugar, honey, and spices. Eastern sweet tooths have always loved sherbet made from dogwood, rose hips, rose petals and even licorice. This treat is a great way to beat the heat.
Gülbesheker
Many of us cried in front of the TV while watching the famous series “King - the Songbird,” based on the book by the Turkish writer Reshad Nyuri Güntekin. The incredibly beautiful heroine there was called Gulbesheker - this is the Turkish name for jam made from rose petals. It tastes amazing and has a lot of benefits. Rose buds contain vitamins (especially a lot of vitamin C), carotene, potassium, iodine, selenium, copper and iron.
Fresh tea rose petals are best suited for the famous jam (just don’t take store-bought ones - who knows what they did with these flowers). There are different recipes for making this sweet. For example, this one.
Festive treat
A 15th-century cookbook written under the Ottoman Sultanate says that sweet baklava (“baklava”) was first prepared for the table of Sultan Mehmet Fatih, who called it a great treat for any holiday. But there is an opinion that they began to prepare this sweet much earlier, and not only the Turks, but also the Greeks lay claim to its invention. We are unlikely to know the truth, but we can fully enjoy the taste of this amazing delicacy.
Oriental sweets is a tasty name that unites a huge number of a wide variety of sweets that have been created in the countries of the East for more than one millennium. They are confectionery products, completely different in composition and preparation technology. It is believed that Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran have the most big choice treats Nuts, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, candied fruits, spices, raisins, honey, etc. are often used to make oriental sweets. Today we have prepared for you a review of the most popular and interesting recipes sweets of the East, which include various nuts.
IN old times a product such as sugar was practically unavailable, and therefore all foods acquired sweetness from fruit juices and honey. Preparing this type of dessert was considered a real art. Sweets had a fairly high price and were available only to wealthy people.
The hot climate also played a role in the history of oriental delicacies. The technology for their preparation is such that they can be stored for quite a long time without any refrigeration facilities. It is known that the marmalade we love was first created in the East. Everyone knows the names of such delicacies as kozinaki, nougat, halva, baklava, sherbet and churchkhela. Let's figure out what oriental sweets with nuts are called and how they can be prepared.
If you want to steal a girl's heart, comfort a crying child, or earn the respect of a gray-haired old man, just treat them to their favorite sweets
An old Arabic proverb.
Pomegranate Turkish Delight
Translated from Turkish, the name of this dessert sounds like “Turkish delight.” The delicacy can be prepared from starch, molasses (honey, sugar), water, and sometimes coconut flakes- this is the so-called white delight. Walnut delight is widely used when whole or crushed nuts are added to such a mass.
To prepare oriental sweets with nuts for 5 people, we will need:
Place sugar, ½ of the total amount of citric acid in a small saucepan, and pour in a glass of water. Heat until thickened for half an hour. In another container, mix starch, 400 ml of water, juice and the remaining citric acid, bring to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Combine the starch mass and sugar syrup, keep the mixture on low heat for 30-35 minutes, it should turn into a homogeneous, smooth mass. Add sesame seeds and nuts to the pan, stir and pour the mixture into the mold. Cover the product with film and put it in the refrigerator for one night. In the morning, cut the oriental sweet with nuts into cubes. By the way, the calorie content of such a dessert is quite high and amounts to 510 kcal/100 g. It will take you about 10 hours to prepare.
Inchmish
We suggest preparing an oriental sweet with walnuts and sultanas. The dessert belongs to Uzbek cuisine and is similar to a kind of sweets. Let's prepare:
- 1 tbsp. walnuts and sultanas;
- 20-30 g cookies;
- powdered sugar for sprinkling.
The best choice for a delicacy is black sultanas, which have a slightly sour taste and are also healthier. We sort out the ingredients (nuts and sultanas), wash and dry them, and grind them in a blender at high speed. Place the mixture in a container; if the mixture is too liquid, add cookies. With wet hands, form small balls the size of a walnut and roll thoroughly in powdered sugar. The treat is ready!
Nougat - oriental white sweet with nuts
Traditionally, this beloved delicacy is made from honey or sugar, different types roasted nuts and egg white. To prepare, take:
- 300 g sugar;
- 100 ml water;
- 100 grams of pistachios;
- 80 g honey;
- one egg white.
How to cook?
Fry pistachios and other nuts intended for making nougat in a dry frying pan. Separate one tbsp. l. sugar from the total amount and set aside. Pour the remaining sugar into a saucepan and pour water into it. Place on the stove and turn on the burner.
Please note: before the syrup boils, the sugar must be completely dissolved.
After the syrup boils, you should choose a heat mode such that minimal boiling of the syrup is maintained.
Cook to a temperature of 110 °C, then add honey and mix carefully. After this, cook the syrup to a temperature of 135-137 °C. Beat the egg white with a spoonful of sugar and pour the finished syrup (130°C) into it in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens. Add nuts to the resulting mixture. We line the form with parchment and put nougat in it. Place in a cool place and let cool completely.
Kozinaki
An oriental sweet with nuts called kozinaki has an extraordinary taste. Children especially like its taste. Let's start preparing the delicacy.
- Pour a glass of sugar into a saucepan, add four glasses of water and boil until thickened.
- Pour two cups of pre-roasted nuts (almonds, peanuts) into the syrup, mix, remove from heat and cool slightly.
- More warm mixture spread out in an even layer on film, then roll out and leave until completely cooled.
- Cut the cooled mass into triangles or give it any other shape.
Nut sweets
Such desserts are prepared from fruit juices, butter, condensed milk, flour, sugar with the addition of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and cashews. Oriental sweets with nuts include grilled meat, churchkhela, kozinaki, nougat and various cookies.
- 1 cup of any nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, etc.);
- 100 g sl. oils;
- a can of condensed milk;
- sesame.
Note that before preparing a dessert that includes any nuts, they should be pre-roasted. This procedure will make them taste better and enhance the aroma.
Cooking technology
We roast the nuts, and after they have cooled, we separate the husks from them. In a deep saucepan, melt the butter and combine it with condensed milk, cook until the mixture thickens. Be careful not to overcook the mixture, otherwise the confectionery products will turn out very hard. Ready mixture Remove from heat, add nuts and stir very quickly. Immediately pour into a mold that has been previously covered with film. Level the surface and let the mixture cool thoroughly. When this happens, cut the dessert into pieces and roll in sesame seeds.
Baklava with peanuts and pistachios
This delicacy is a multi-layer cake, which consists of sheets of the thinnest dough, coated with butter. They are laid out in a baking dish in layers, between which are chopped nuts, soaked in a syrup consisting of sugar, lemon, rose water. Let's look at how to prepare this oriental sweet with nuts and honey.
Grind the nuts separately in a blender, combine the peanuts with powdered sugar. Melt the butter in a frying pan and grease the mold with it. Place a sheet of dough in it, soak it generously in oil and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. We alternate layers until the form is completely filled. Grease the last leaf thoroughly with oil and sprinkle with pistachios and peanuts, cut into squares. Bake at 180°C for about 35 minutes. Put honey in a saucepan, fill it with 100 milliliters of water, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Pour honey syrup over the baked goods, cover with foil and leave overnight. The calorie content of this baklava is 665 kcal/100 g.