Sinfully Sweet Endings in Turkey

Though this list is not exhaustive, it is quite extensive. The first is obviously the video that attracts you to Turkey, an elaborately dressed man in front of a small ice-cream stall. You place your order to him, he complies – the ice-cream is on the cone, one outstretched hand tries to meet another to grab the ice-cream. If it were only that easy….

Again, no brands for the ice-cream, any street vendor churns out equally tasty ice-cream, but if you want to burn some calories before consuming the ice cream, make sure one person gets the camera out while the other goes for the ice-cream. The vendors really love the spotlight 😊 . Also, the ice-cream, made from goat’s milk, and an ingredient called ‘salep’, does not melt easily – make sure you have the time to enjoy it properly.

Then, of course, is the national dessert of Turkey, the Baklava, looks like a puff, but filled with nuts and syrup, it is something really addictive. The best fresh ones would be at Hafiz Mustafa if you want a fine-dine-Baklava experience, however, this sinful dessert is also found in markets, and in local shops.

Dessert experience at Hafiz Mustafa

The Turkish Delight, or the Locum is a confection made from starch and sugar – it’s that simple, but elaborate dressings of nuts, dates, fruits and even flowers give it a very different and colourful feel. My favorites were the ones fused with Nutella, and a variant coated with rose petals! Turkish delight and Baklava can last for a month, and comes in small gift boxes, and is an ideal souvenir to carry back home (where it finishes off in a jiffy!)

What's your Delight?

The not-so-popular of the dishes, the Kunefe is an eclectic dessert that can only be enjoyed piping hot and fresh, straight from the oven. With a mildly sweet, honey-dipped crisp crust on the outside and molten local cheese on the inside, this is nothing short of pure bliss. Yes, I had grimaced too when I heard about the composition, and had initially felt I wanted to give it a pass, but one bite and I was sold. For starters, the cheese is not too pungent, and dampens the effect of syrup, thus producing a dessert mildly sweet, and still as sinful. It is usually endemic to Turkey, and definitely a must-try.

After gorging on these dishes for over a week, it was time to come back to more mainstream cuisines back home, but every once in a while, I find myself visiting a restaurant which has some Turkish options and everytime I ask myself, would I go back to Turkey just for the food, and the mice inside my stomach respond with a resounding, YES!