Rahat al-Hulkum · Comfort of the Throat
Turkish Delight: 600-Year
Ottoman Secret
From Arabic roots to Ottoman palaces, C.S. Lewis's Narnia, and global pop culture… A journey into the world's most captivating confection.
From "Rahat al-Hulkum" to World Literature
The word "Lokum" stems from the Arabic phrase "rahat al-hulkum" (راحة الحلقوم), meaning "comfort of the throat".
In 15th-century Anatolia, boiled sweets made of honey, molasses, and flour were early prototypes. However, the soft, elastic, and translucent texture known worldwide today emerged in the 18th century with two key ingredients: refined cornstarch and beet sugar.
In 1777, confectioner Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir opened his shop in Istanbul. After winning the Ottoman court confectionary competition, he became the chief confectioner to Sultan Abdul Hamid I, making Lokum an indispensable Ottoman delicacy.
"An English traveller in the late 18th century shipped cases of this confectionery to London under the label Turkish Delight, forever sealing its global name."