WEBVTT - The Tempting Turkish Delight Episode 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:10.960 Hell loa and welcome to Savor production of iHeart Radio. 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:12.120 I'm Annie Reese and I'm. 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.319 Lauren Vogel Bam, and today we have an episode for 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:15.680 you about Turkish delight. 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:19.680 Yes, was there any particular reason this was on your mind? 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:20.040 Lauren? 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:21.800 Well ed? 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:25.320 Alpha tyre was this past weekend. It's a holiday celebrating 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:28.280 the end in the breaking of the fast of the 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:32.200 holy month of Ramadan. And it's a family and community holiday, 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:34.599 you know, like people dress up nice kids especially might 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:38.240 get gifts. There's feasting and a lot of treats, and 0:00:38.840 --> 0:00:40.880 you know, of course there are all kinds of traditions 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:43.720 and cuisines attached to eat all around the world. But 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:47.839 a treat that I saw come up pretty often was 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:50.280 Turkish delight, and I've been wanting to do an episode 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:50.600 about it. 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:55.600 So here we are, Here we are. Yes, I don't 0:00:55.720 --> 0:00:58.520 have too much experience with Turkish delight. I think I've 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:01.200 had some none of it. I think has been the 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:02.520 good stuff, shall we say? 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.200 Oh okay, yeah, I haven't had the fancy kinds, but 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:11.000 just the plain old like like rosewater jelly cubes type 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:16.039 is actually one of my favorite things. And I know 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:19.160 that that makes like I've seen a lot of There 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:25.479 have been many words spoken about how terrible Turkish delight 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:30.080 is on the internet. I think mostly from people who 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.280 didn't know what it was when they read Lion, the Witch, 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.360 and the Wardrobe and were imagining chocolate. 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:39.160 And but I really like rose water. 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:45.520 Yes, which, speaking of you can see our fictional foods 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:48.520 episode that we did on Chronicles of Narnia where we 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:49.440 did talk about this. 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:55.360 Or our rosewater episode maybe like marshmallow vaguely related? 0:01:55.600 --> 0:02:01.160 Sure, yeah, cream of Tartar an episode of that I 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:01.960 definitely did. 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:06.200 Yes, Oh yes, I consulted my notes for that in here, 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:08.520 so uh perfect. 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:12.440 Well, I guess that breaks us to you our questions. Sure, 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:19.280 Turkish delight, what is it? 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:20.200 Well? 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.919 Turkish delight, also called lookum, is a type of soft 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.440 jelly candy that can come in any number of flavors 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:32.320 and like combinations with other confectionery items, but at its simplest, 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:36.560 you're looking at a bite sized flavored gel candy that's 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:40.480 sort of bouncy or slightly chewy or like tender gummy 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:43.840 in texture and very sweet, usually with a coating of 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.000 powdered sugar and starch to prevent the separate pieces from 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:49.600 sticking together in the box, or you know, whatever receptacle 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:53.360 they come in. The flavor might be rose water or 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:57.640 another floral, maybe vanilla, or citrus like orange or lemon, 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:00.840 or another fruit like pomegranate or bear of some kind. 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:03.960 The gel tends to be brightly colored, often with food coloring. 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.320 But all of that is. 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:12.359 Just the tip of the Turkish delight iceberg. Because locum 0:03:12.600 --> 0:03:15.720 can be studded or rolled in chopped nuts like mustachios 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:19.560 or almonds, or dried fruit like dates or coconut. It 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:21.560 can be layered with nougat and rolled up like a 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:24.040 little jelly roll. You can wrap it around a cream 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:25.720 filling or coated with chocolate if. 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:26.000 You want to. 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:29.840 It's often served as a snack or a dessert, especially 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:33.399 with like strong coffee or tea, and on special occasions, 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:38.480 each piece is just a sweet, squoshy little pillow. It's like, 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:42.920 you know how there's always some brand of stuffed animals 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:46.000 that becomes like a pop culture thing, you know, like 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:49.480 beanie babies or squish mollows or whatever it is at 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.880 the time, But like stuffed animals themselves are just incredibly 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:57.240 classic because they're just soft and nice. Yeah, locum is 0:03:57.280 --> 0:04:00.840 like eating a hug with a fun stuffed animal. 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.360 I'm pillow pit partial myself. 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:12.440 Oh uh huh yeah yeah, but it is lovely, yeah right, 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:14.640 and there's it's just fun. 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:19.400 There's nothing wrong fun, no, there is it? 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:27.600 So uh yes, a Turkish delight is within the category 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:30.760 of like jelly or gummy type candies. So what you're 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:34.440 looking to do when you're making it is to figure 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:38.440 out a way to make sugar slightly chewy. And there 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:40.800 are a number of ways to do that, like sugar 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:43.720 just by itself, plus water can be cooked to it 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.599 to a soft chewy stage. But we're looking for a 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.000 gel here, which means that you're gonna want to add 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:52.159 something that'll glom onto water and form like a like 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:56.480 a soft scaffold kind of kind of thing within the mass. 0:04:57.240 --> 0:05:00.400 And that something can be a starch like cornstarcher pectin 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:06.320 and or a protein like gelatin. Gelatin is controversial. Don't 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:14.160 come at me, people do use it. I'm sorry, I'm 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:20.120 like a little nervous. This is something that people have 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:24.880 opinions about, for sure, you know, we love strong opinions. 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:28.239 But also right, I'm not telling you, I'm just reporting 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:34.640 the facts. Okay, So to make crystallized sugar into a 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:38.279 chewy gel, you heat it with water or other liquid 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:40.800 until it dissolves, and then keep cooking it to simmer 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:44.280 out a bunch of the water and sugar. 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:45.000 But by which I. 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.520 Mean soucrose here really likes being a crystal, so you 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:53.239 have to do this carefully. To prevent recrystallization. You can 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:57.400 add an already stable liquid sugar like corn starch, and 0:05:57.640 --> 0:06:00.440 or add cream of tartar, which breaks soup grows down 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:03.200 into fruitose and glucose, which don't care as much about 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:06.000 being in crystal form. How much water you simmer out 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.760 during this process depends. I've read recipes for softball stage 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.080 and for hardball stage, which are candy making terms that 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.839 describe what the sugar will do when it cools down. 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:19.240 But in either case you wind up with this gel 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:21.320 instead of like a toffi or caramel sort of thing, 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:23.839 because that starch that you add will will hold on 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.640 to a bit of extra water dispersed evenly through the 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.240 sugar mixture. When you heat starch and water, it'll gelatinize, 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:35.040 forming a flexible matrix. The set on the final candy 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:38.200 can be anywhere from like pillowy, soft gummy like sort 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:41.560 of like a extra soft gum drop in texture to 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:46.000 more stretchy or chewy. People have opinions about which is 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:51.600 correct or preferable. Again, I'm not here to tell you 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:53.080 your Turkish delight business. 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.000 No no no, no no no. 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:01.640 Flavorings can vary. A lot water or orange blossom water 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:04.680 are perhaps the most traditional. A lot of recipes do 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.160 call for some tart citrus juice like lemon or lime 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:09.240 in with the water as you're cooking down the sugar. 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:11.280 It'll provide a little bit of flavor and also help 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:15.040 prevent crystallization. You can use almost all fruit juice, though, 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:18.360 like maybe pomegranate or BlackBerry. You can use milk. You 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.320 can add flavoring like mint or coffee to the jel itself. 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.160 You can add flavoring to the powder coating, like maybe 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:29.560 cinnamon or cocoa. But once you get beyond the territory 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:33.160 of this is a soft gummy candy and into the 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:37.560 arena of this is a base for something more complicated. 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:43.200 People do all kinds of wild things, any fruit flavor, 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:46.080 you can imagine, any type of nuts, all kinds of 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:50.240 cream fillings or jams, or like soft chocolate, you know, 0:07:50.480 --> 0:07:53.680 coat it in any dang thing you like, rice, crispies, 0:07:53.960 --> 0:08:02.400 I don't know, crushed oreos, saffron, Okay, confusing but cool. Yeah, 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:04.920 Turkish delight can also be used as a filling in 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:09.480 chocolates or pastries. And yeah, it can be a simple 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:13.440 treat with coffee or a fancy gift or a snack 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:16.800 at celebrations. I understand that. I read that in some 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:21.280 Turkish funerary traditions, locum is served to mourners on specific 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:26.040 anniversaries of the loved one's death. I couldn't find much 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:27.880 more about it than that, so if you have any 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.920 experience with this, please write in. I know asking about 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:33.280 funerary traditions on a food show is a little weird, 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:35.120 but you know us that it's not that weird. 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:40.480 No, and there are a lot of funerary traditions that 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.439 involve food. So oh of course, yeah, m hm, Well 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:51.360 what about the nutrition. Sugar is a treat? Treats are nice? Yes, yes, indeed, 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.440 we do have a couple numbers for you, we do. 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:56.880 Okay, So. 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:01.600 Turkish delight is not only from Turkey, but it's from 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:06.439 the wider surrounding area but there are laws in Turkey 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:10.720 about what canon cannot be called Turkish delight, and one 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:14.120 that I found very specific is that the moisture content 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:20.600 in locom can only be sixteen percent that otherwise it's 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:27.200 not locom. Wow, yeah, that is very specific. Well, it 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:30.080 can be under that, but it cannot be run that anyway. Okay, 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:33.160 sixteen percent. As of two thousand and one, locum made 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:37.560 up some ten percent of Turkey's confectionery industry, which amounted 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:39.640 to about forty two thousand tons. 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:44.480 Wow. Yeah, that's only ten percent. 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:49.320 People like candy treats are nice. 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:56.040 It's true, that's true. There has also this isn't there's 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:59.600 a number in here. There has been a wide scoping 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:04.920 music festival in Macedonia called Locomfest for a couple decades. 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.800 It was named after like the spirit of sharing cultures 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:09.920 and customs over a little bit of locom and some 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:13.480 coffee in like old marketplaces like it's held in an 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:17.160 Ottoman era, bizarre from like the fourteen hundreds. It was 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:20.880 in its seventeenth year in twenty twenty three, having hosted 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:23.319 some eighty bands over the years, but their website has 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:26.360 not been updated since then. So I do not know 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:30.200 the fate of Locomfest. 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:34.080 Once again, listeners, Yeah, if you know, please write it. 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:39.360 But yes, there is a very interesting history behind this street. 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:42.360 There is, yes, and we are going to get into 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:43.880 that as soon as we get back from a quick 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:51.840 break forward from our sponsors. 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.600 And we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. Okay. 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:03.640 So the origins of Turkish delight are locum are hard 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:07.720 to pin down. Some believe that this sweet or something 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:10.840 very similar to it, was invented by Arabs the ninth 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:15.040 century CE. Others claim it wasn't until the eighteenth century 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:19.400 when it was invented. Others point to similar candies that 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:20.960 were being made in the Middle Ages. 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:22.840 Mysteries history. 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:26.880 Yeah, yeah, the predecessors of Turkish delight as we know 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.840 it today would have had a slightly different flavor and texture. 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:33.680 The sugar component would have been honey or a syrup 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:37.480 made from cooking down juice like grape or figs or mulberries, 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:40.520 and the starch would have been flour, So a little 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:41.280 bit of a different thing. 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:44.880 Yeah, which is always an issue when we try to 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:49.560 get to the bottom of these things. But there is 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:52.640 one big name that comes up when trying to get 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.280 to the bottom of the history of Turkish delight, and 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:59.360 that is Turkey's Hadja Bakir and I apologize if I'm 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:03.000 mispronouncing it, please write in let me know. Which was 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:08.079 a confectionery opened in seventeen seventy seven in modern day Istanbul. 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:12.720 It was the brainchild of a confectioner named Bakir, and 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:18.239 it specialized in locum and this treat was incredibly popular 0:12:18.320 --> 0:12:21.720 and words spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. They were so 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:26.320 popular that Sultan Mahmoud the Second hired Baker to serve 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:29.480 as the palace as chief confectioner, a position that remained 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:32.760 in his family until nineteen twenty, when the Ottoman Empire 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:36.480 came to an end. By this point, they were already 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.960 exporting their products to other countries around the world, and 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:42.760 travelers from places like England would bring the treats back 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:45.560 home with them too, so they were really making a 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:49.320 name for themselves. The business remains in the family. You 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:52.800 can still read about them, and they claimed the recipe 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:56.880 hasn't changed since the addition of cornstarch to replace the 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:01.640 flower in the mid eighteen hundreds. That being said, it 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:06.400 is also more than possible another confectioner or confectioners working 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.200 in the Palace were the ones responsible for locum, and 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:14.360 Hadja Bikir was the first to export it, so they 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.839 were often viewed as the original creators because of that, 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:20.640 but you know how it goes, probably a lot of 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.160 people were involved. 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:23.319 Yep, yep. 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:27.079 Processed sugar started being used as it became more available 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:28.880 in the eighteen hundreds as well. 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:34.600 Yes, and these early versions were flavored with almonds, pistachios, musk, 0:13:34.720 --> 0:13:36.359 and or rose oil. 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:39.200 Mastic was another flavoring that was used. It's a type 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.680 of tree resin with like a kind of piny cedery 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:42.440 sort of flavor. 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:48.120 And while the ingredients were fairly simple, a recipe printed 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:51.800 in a journal in eighteen ninety four described the rather 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:56.839 arduous process of making it lots of very specific stirring 0:13:57.040 --> 0:14:00.319 and specific directions that required two people to get the 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:06.199 right consistency, and perhaps because of that difficulty, Locum was 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:10.199 not really successfully replicated outside of Turkey for. 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:11.079 A long time. 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:16.640 That being said, jumping ahead a bit, in the nineteen twenties, 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:20.880 confectioners in the US began offering similar products to Locum 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:24.760 under a variety of names, and perhaps The most notable 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:30.200 example was applets, which was made with fresh apples, honey 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:34.840 and walnuts, and cutlets, which was the same but apricots 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:38.920 instead of apples. All right, so they were the product 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:45.560 of two Armenian immigrants, Arman Turtsegian and Mark Balaban. After 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:48.480 arriving in America, the two met at a YMCA in 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.640 Seattle and they decided to go into business together. They 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.120 tried a couple of things that didn't work out before 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:58.400 they purchased and orchard in Kashmir, Washington to use up 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:03.320 any extra fruit they had started making these candies. Both 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:07.280 had experience with locum from their childhoods in Armenia, but 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:12.360 they eventually realized they couldn't provide shelf stability and quality 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:17.320 control using the fresh off the orchard apples, so they 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:21.600 sold the orchards. They were intent on becoming the first 0:15:21.640 --> 0:15:24.760 commercial producers of locum in the US, though they did 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:30.280 not give up this. Their product, especially the applets, gained 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:34.400 a lot of popularity and became a sought after tourist item. 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:38.920 In nineteen sixty two, the product was offered at the 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:44.920 Seattle's World Fair and that gave it even more popularity. Eventually, 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:50.240 they decreased the amount of rosewater they used and added 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:53.880 in some pectin. For a while they really avoided the 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:58.360 Turkish Delight label due to the tensions between Turkey and Armenia, 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:02.360 but they eventually decided to it. But when I looked 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.720 it up in their shop, you can still get applets 0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:10.200 and cottlets and fruit delights, but you can also get 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:14.640 Turkish Delights. Yeah, they have a history on their website 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:16.240 if you want to check it out. It's really interesting. 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:22.920 And then yes, in nineteen fifty C. S. Lewis's The Lion, 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:27.480 the Witch and the Wardrobe introduced many people to Turkish Delight. 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:29.480 Many people who hadn't heard of it before didn't know 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:35.360 it right, perhaps Americans. Yes, yes, I think that is accurate. 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:40.360 And this was the candy that tempted Edmund Pevensey and 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:45.640 led him to betraying his siblings. Prior to the book's release, 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:51.800 the English apparently called the Sweet Lumps of Delight. In 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.960 either case, the book really made this candy sound like 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:56.160 it was the best thing ever. 0:16:57.120 --> 0:17:00.800 Basically, this is what you want actually if you were 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:01.320 a kid. 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:06.000 And there are a couple of reasons why Lewis chose 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:10.840 this treat to exemplify that. So the UK had been 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:15.280 importing Turkish lights since at least eighteen sixty one, and 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:19.119 it was so popular a treat that specialty stores started 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:19.760 popping up. 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:24.600 Yeah, the good stuff was generally imported and expensive. 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:28.560 Yes, and during World War Two people would line up 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:29.720 for these treats. 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:33.320 For candy in general, Yeah, sugar was already being rationed 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.960 early on in the war by the beginning of nineteen forty. 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.200 After nineteen forty two, confectioneries were placed in the category 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:43.960 of items that needed both coupons and additional money to purchase. 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:49.959 Even with ration coupons, they were expensive. So because of this, 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:54.359 they became somewhat associated with Christmas as like a gift, 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:57.960 something people couldn't have all the time. And if you 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:01.560 remember from our fictional foods at episode, or perhaps your 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:03.920 own reading of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:09.159 when we first encounter Nardia, it was always winter and 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:13.800 never Christmas. That story also took place during World War Two, 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:16.480 which is when Lewis himself was writing the book. So 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:18.520 it makes sense in a lot of ways that Turkish 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.000 delight was the suite that Lewis went with. 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:26.840 Yeah, Honestly, like Edmund is being a total goober when 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:30.000 he asks the White Witch for it, specifically, because it's 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:32.280 not just like, hey can I have candy? It's like, 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:37.080 hey can I have like the fancy imported candy. To 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:40.760 be fair, he was having a rough time, But I like. 0:18:40.840 --> 0:18:42.920 This strong opinions about Edmund. 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:50.080 It's fair. 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:52.600 That's the entire point of the character is that he's 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:54.359 being a goober, and then he learns how to be 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:57.320 less Gooberriy, that's the whole that's the whole concept. It's 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.920 not it's yes Lewis's opinion mine. 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:02.919 They should print that on the back of the book. 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:05.000 That should be a review. 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:12.119 I remember seeing online and now I have no idea 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:15.040 if like, I don't think I just invented it whole cloth. 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:20.480 But I remember seeing on the internet a review for 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:23.400 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on like Amazon 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:30.040 or something, and some cranky old fellow being like, this 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:33.560 book is just chilling for Turkish delight. And I don't 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:40.000 even know what that is. I don't know if it 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:41.040 was made up or not. 0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:47.000 But that's so funny. Someone, if that's true, that someone 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:53.080 took the time to be like I have to say, 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:56.480 as a kid, When I read that book, I had 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:01.239 never heard of Turkish delight, and it sounded like it 0:20:01.359 --> 0:20:04.200 did to me, sound like, this is the best thing ever. 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:07.160 I must get my hands on it. And I read 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:11.960 a lot of kind of funny articles where they had 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:15.720 a similar experience, and when they tried Turkish delights, the 0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:19.040 quality we cannot say what it was, because I again 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:21.280 think I probably haven't had really good Turkish light. 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:23.000 They're disappointed. 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:27.480 Yeah, it's also I do understand that rose water is 0:20:28.359 --> 0:20:32.960 not a very common flavor that a lot of Americans 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:36.479 have encountered modernly, you know, like we that whole thing 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.600 where we really switched hard to vanilla sometime in the 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:43.960 eighteen hundreds. But yeah, it's you know, he just doesn't 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:46.400 like, like C. S. Lewis doesn't put a lot of description 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:48.320 into the book because it's kind of like, you know, 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:50.399 from his point of view, you don't really have to 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:52.920 describe it. It's just Turkish delight. It's something that everyone 0:20:53.520 --> 0:20:58.439 is familiar with. But yeah, it's in this fancy box 0:20:58.960 --> 0:21:02.480 and hears magically because the White Witch just kind of 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:06.439 summons it. And yeah, the only thing that he writes 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:08.720 is that each piece was sweet and light to the 0:21:08.840 --> 0:21:12.480 very center and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:18.920 That's it. The imagination does wonder story. 0:21:23.240 --> 0:21:24.359 I mean, you gotta figure it. 0:21:24.440 --> 0:21:26.520 I mean, you know it's you gotta figure it's good 0:21:26.600 --> 0:21:29.000 because he's willing to sell out his family for more 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:29.760 Turkish delight. 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:32.159 Yeah, but I. 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:34.280 Think you're missing. I mean, that's missing the point that 0:21:34.320 --> 0:21:38.399 it's enchanted. It's you know, right, it's not just the 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:42.880 Turkish delight, right, but especially it. 0:21:43.320 --> 0:21:44.800 As a kid who had never heard of it, and 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:47.359 you're like, oh, why can't I get this? 0:21:47.560 --> 0:21:53.119 What is this? Yeah? But you can. 0:21:53.280 --> 0:21:53.800 I mean. 0:21:55.240 --> 0:21:59.520 Turkish Light is still going strong, a lot of story, 0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:02.720 special life in it. The store we mentioned still going 0:22:02.840 --> 0:22:04.480 and how's a really interesting history if you want to 0:22:04.480 --> 0:22:04.879 look it up. 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:11.480 Uh yeah, yeah, and right in America that's Liberty Orchards, Yes, 0:22:11.920 --> 0:22:14.920 that is yes. And then yeah, there are all kinds 0:22:14.960 --> 0:22:19.000 of guides to all the best sweet shops around Istanbul 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:22.800 and beyond. If oh, if you ever have gotten a 0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:26.359 chance to go, if you have a favorite like weird 0:22:26.480 --> 0:22:30.480 cool flavor, if yes, one want to know all about it? 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:31.600 We do. 0:22:32.760 --> 0:22:35.360 But that is what we have to say about Turkish. 0:22:35.119 --> 0:22:35.760 Delight for now. 0:22:37.119 --> 0:22:39.239 We do already have some listener mail for you, though, 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:40.560 and we are going to get into that as soon 0:22:40.600 --> 0:22:42.320 as we get back from one more quick break for 0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:53.880 a word from our sponsors, and we're back. 0:22:53.920 --> 0:22:58.720 Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you, and we're back with listen. 0:23:00.960 --> 0:23:05.919 May Delight. 0:23:06.600 --> 0:23:07.080 Yeah. 0:23:07.720 --> 0:23:13.760 Yes, speaking of Michael wrote and one of your recent 0:23:13.840 --> 0:23:17.080 listener mails you were discussing hatch green chili and ask 0:23:17.080 --> 0:23:20.280 for recipes. Here's a link to the way back machine 0:23:20.280 --> 0:23:22.280 that has a copy of the now out of print 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:25.679 Coachina Day, New Mexico. This is a recipe book that 0:23:25.760 --> 0:23:28.080 was put out by the Power Company of New Mexico 0:23:28.320 --> 0:23:31.760 P and M. This book is what our family used 0:23:31.960 --> 0:23:35.600 for years. It has the basis for some really good 0:23:35.760 --> 0:23:40.640 green chili dishes and other local favorites. Okay, so listeners, 0:23:40.640 --> 0:23:43.040 if you want to write in, if you if you 0:23:43.119 --> 0:23:46.000 want the link, write in, we'll send it to you. 0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:47.520 But thank you. 0:23:47.760 --> 0:23:52.320 We'd love we'd love recipes. We love books, yes, and 0:23:52.400 --> 0:23:54.800 I love I love green chili. 0:23:55.040 --> 0:23:59.280 So I have some canned stuff. 0:23:59.400 --> 0:24:03.440 I know it's not as good as the real. 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:07.640 Thing, but I do love it. I love it so much. 0:24:10.000 --> 0:24:14.560 A little bit little bit of a chili fanatic over here, yeah, 0:24:14.960 --> 0:24:20.520 just a little bit. A listener who did not include 0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:22.959 their name wrote, I thought i'd give you my family's 0:24:23.000 --> 0:24:26.000 Irish soda bread recipe, adjusted by me for weight based 0:24:26.040 --> 0:24:28.800 so that I can make it super quickly. Okay, So 0:24:29.119 --> 0:24:31.960 two hundred and fifty grams of white flour, two hundred 0:24:31.960 --> 0:24:33.960 and fifty grams of whole meal flour, one and a 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:36.159 half teaspoons of salt, one and a half teaspoons of 0:24:36.359 --> 0:24:39.600 bicarbonate of soda, four hundred and fifty grams of buttermilk. 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:43.840 Preheat oven to two hundred celsius. I'm not going to 0:24:43.880 --> 0:24:46.840