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| Alternative names | Tel helva, çekme helva, tel tel, tepme helva, keten helva, Ćetenija |
|---|---|
| Type | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Turkey |
| Region or state | Kocaeli, Turkey |
| Main ingredients | Flour,butter, pulledsugar |
Pişmaniye is aTurkish confection made by blendingflour roasted in butter intopulled sugar and then forming it into fine strands. It is sometimes garnished with groundpistachio nuts. Although it is sometimes compared tocotton candy, both the ingredients and method of preparation are significantly different.
Until recently pişmaniye used to be made at home in most regions ofTurkey, but this tradition is now rapidly disappearing.[1] Today the manufacturing process is partially mechanised.[2]
There are many different Turkish names, used in different provinces, the most common beingtel helva, çekme helva, tel tel, tepme helva andketen helva, whereas in the Balkans the name ćetenija is commonly used.
The earliest Turkish reference to pişmaniye is a recipe by Şirvani,[3] a physician writing during the 1430s. The Persian formpashmak, related topaşmīna andpaşm, the origin of theTurkish namepişmaniye,[4] occurs in the poetry of the Iranian poet Ebu Ishak, also known as Bushak (d. 1423 or 1427).[5] "Pashm" in Persian means wool, and "Pashmak" means wool-like.
Another theory is that it may be of aCoptic origin from "ⲡⲏⲥ: pis",[6] which means "to mix flour with fat", and "ⲛⲏⲓⲛⲓ: nani or mani",[7] which means "honey".
This candy is found in Egypt, where it is known as "halawat sha'ar حلاوة شعر", which means "hair candy".
