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Turkish delight, rahat lokum, lokum, etc., is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, and hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are mostly gel, generally flavored with rosewater, mastic, Bergamot orange, or lemon. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar, to prevent clinging. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive. == History == The exact origin of these sweets is yet to be definitively determined; however, "lokum" comes from the Arabic Halkum or Al-Halkum. In the Arab World, Turkish delights are called ''rāḥat al-ḥulqūm'' (رَاحَة الْحُلْقُوم) which means "Throat Comfort". According to the Hacı Bekir company, the sweets as they are known today were developed by Bekir Efendi, named Hacı Bekir,after performing the Hajj. He moved to Istanbul from his hometown Kastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapı in 1777. The company still operates under the founder's name.〔 Tim Richardson, a historian of sweets, has questioned the claim of Hacı Bekir to be the creator of Turkish Delight, writing that "specific names and dates are often erroneously associated with the invention of particular sweets, not least for commercial reasons".〔Brown, Jonathan. ("The Lion, the Witch & the Turkish Delight" ), ''The Independent'', London, 5 December 2005. Retrieved on 5 December 2005.〕〔Richardson, Tim (2003). ''Sweets, a History of Temptation'', p. 51. Bantam Press, London. ISBN 055381446X.〕 Ottoman confectionery was originally sweetened with honey and molasses, using water and flour as the binding agents, with rosewater, lemon peel and bitter orange as the most common flavors (red, yellow and green). Hacı Bekir introduced the use of glucose in 1811, shortly after it had been discovered by Gottlieb Kirchhoff.〔 Lokum was introduced to Western Europe in the 19th century. An unknown Briton reputedly became very fond of the delicacy during his travels to Istanbul and purchased cases of it, to be shipped back to Britain under the name ''Turkish Delight''. It became a major delicacy in Britain and throughout Continental Europe for high class society. During this time, it became a practice among upper class socialites to exchange pieces of Turkish Delight wrapped in silk handkerchiefs as presents.〔UK-Turkey relations and Turkey's regional role: twelfth report of session, Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Foreign Affairs Committee, (Google Ebook )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Turkish delight」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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