Kaymak lokum, Turkish delight of cream, a specialty ofAfyonkarahisarTurkish delights in a spice bazaar inIstanbul
Turkish delight, orlokum (/ˈlɒkʊm/), is a family ofconfections based on agel ofstarch andsugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored withrosewater,mastic gum,bergamot orange, orlemon. Other common flavors includecinnamon andmint. The confection is often packaged in small cubes dusted withicing sugar,copra, or powderedcream of tartar to prevent clinging.
The Turkish nameslokma andlokum are derived from the Arabic wordluqma(t) (لُقْمَة) and its pluralluqam (لُقَم) meaning 'morsel' and 'mouthful'[6] According to Nişanyan The wordlokma derives from the Turkish wordlātiloḳum, meaning "a sweet made with starch" and this word derives from the Arabic wordrāḥatu'l-ḥulḳūm راحت الحلقوم, meaningcomfort of the throat.[7][8] He also states thatlokum is essentially the name of the fried dough dessert known today aslokma. The commercial product known asrahatül-hulkum, known from the 17th century, is understood to have been named after the sound similarity: latilokum > lokum.[9] The form (رَاحَةُ ٱلْحُلْقُوم), meaning 'comfort of the throat', remains the name in formal Arabic.[10]
Although it is called "malban" in some regions, "malban" may also refer to other similar desserts, such as a type of grapefruit leather made withsemolina andgrape juice popular in theLevant.[11][12]
Its name in various Eastern European languages comes from Ottoman Turkishlokum (لوقوم) orrahat-ul hulküm. Its name inGreek,λουκούμι (loukoumi) shares a similar etymology with the modern Turkish and it is marketed asGreek Delight. InCyprus, where the dessert hasprotected geographical indication (PGI),[13][14] it is also marketed asCyprus Delight. InArmenian it is calledlokhum (լոխում). It is läoma ܠܥܡܐ inAssyrian. Its name inBosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, andIsrael israhat lokum, and derives from a very old confusion of the two names found already in Ottoman Turkish;[8] indeed this mixed name can also be found inTurkey today. Its name inSerbo-Croatian isratluk (ратлук), a reduced form of the same name. InPersian, it is calledrāhat-ol-holqum (راحت الحلقوم).[15] In theIndian subcontinent, a variant of it is known asKarachi halwa orBombay halwa. InHungary it is called szultán kenyér (Sultan's bread).[citation needed]
In English, it was formerly alternatively known as "lumps of delight".[16]
According to theHacı Bekir confectionary company [tr], Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir moved toConstantinople from his hometownKastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapı in 1777. He produced various kinds of candies andlokum, later including a unique form oflokum made with starch and sugar.[17][18] Tim Richardson, a historian of sweets, has questioned the popular attribution of the invention of Turkish delight to Hacı Bekir, writing that "specific names and dates are often erroneously associated with the invention of particular sweets, not least for commercial reasons".[19] SimilarPersian recipes, including the use of starch and sugar, predate Bekir by several centuries.[20]The Oxford Companion to Food states that although Bekir is often credited with the invention, there is no real evidence for it.[21]
InArmenia, Turkish delight is known as lokhum (լոխում) and used for various sweets. For example, it is used to makecigarette cookies (Armenian: սիգարետ թխվածքաբլիթներ), soft cookies that are rolled into the form of a cigarette. They are filled with either lokhum, a mixture of sugar,cardamom, and walnuts, or a combination of both. The dough mainly consists ofmatzoon, butter, eggs, and flour. When finished the pastry is dusted withpowdered sugar.[22][23]
Turkish delight was introduced to European portions of the Ottoman Empire under its rule and has remained popular. Today it is commonly consumed with coffee. Rosewater and walnut are the most common flavorings.[citation needed]
In Greece, Turkish delight, known asloukoumi (λουκούμι), has been popular since the 19th century or earlier, famously produced in the city ofPatras (Patrina loukoumia) as well as on the island ofSyros and the northern Greek citiesThessaloniki,Serres andKomotini but elsewhere as well. Loukoumi is a common traditional treat, routinely served instead of biscuits along with coffee. In addition to the common rosewater and bergamot varieties,mastic-flavored loukoumi is available and very popular. Another sweet, similar to loukoumi, that is made exclusively in the town of Serres, isakanés.Cyprus is the only country that has aprotected geographical indication (PGI) for this product: Loukoumi made inYeroskipou is calledΛουκούμι Γεροσκήπου (loukoumi geroskipou).[24]
In Karachi, now in Pakistan, the "Karachi halwa" was made with corn flour and ghee and became quite popular. It is said to have been developed byChandu Halwai which later relocated to Bombay (Mumbai) after the partition in 1947.[25] Some of the confectioners termed it Bombay Halwa to avoid its connection with a Pakistani city.[26] In the year 1896, a confectioner Giridhar Mavji who ran a shop Joshi Budhakaka Mahim Halwawala attempted to replace the starch with wheat flour and thus invented Mahim halwa which consists of flat sheets.[27]
Ireland, the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries
Fry's Turkish Delight, created in 1914,[28] is marketed byCadbury in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. It is rosewater-flavored, and covered on all sides in milk chocolate. UK production moved to Poland in 2010.[29] Hadji Bey was an Armenian emigrant to Ireland who in 1902 set upan eponymous company – still in existence – to produce rahat lokoum for the Irish and later UK markets.[citation needed]
Turkish delight holds deep cultural significance in Greece, Turkey, Iran, and across the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It symbolizes hospitality, generosity, and celebration. In Turkey, lokum is a staple during festive occasions such as weddings, where it symbolizes sweetness and prosperity in the couples' life together.[35] Similarly, during religious festivals like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, it is exchanged as gifts among family and friends. In Greece, loukoumi is a symbol of hospitality and refinement.[36] It is commonly served to guests alongside tea or coffee, representing warmth and respect for visitors.[37] Lokum's sweet taste is often seen as a metaphor for the sweetness of life and relationships, making it a beloved symbol of joy and togetherness.[citation needed]
^Colin Turner,A Thematic Dictionary of Modern Persian, 2004
^Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Iriné, eds. (2009).Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 01.02.08.01.15.29.01.OL23951545M.
^"Haci Bekir, Turkey's Oldest Company, Has Been Sweetening the Mouth for 242 Years". Hacı Bekir. 18 March 2022.
^Richardson, Tim (2003).Sweets, a History of Temptation. London: Bantam Press. p. 51.ISBN055381446X.
^Brown, Jonathan (4 December 2005)."The Lion, the Witch & the Turkish Delight".The Independent. Retrieved10 August 2025.But Tim Richardson, author of Sweets: A History of Candy, is sceptical about the veracity of the legend. His love affair with confection was prompted in part by his grandfather's frequent missions to the Middle East as a buyer of Turkish delight (it was a passion not extinguished by his dentist father.) Mr Richardson believes that Hadji Bekir's story lives on, fuelled partly because of its romantic appeal and partly due to the commercial interests that continue to promote it. "I'm sure it is a much older sweet. There is evidence of gummy, syrupy sweets dating back to the 9th century," he says. The Persians developed a sweet, the "no rooz", meaning new year. It, too, was made from sugar and starch, and cut into chunks. It was displayed on necklaces and eaten during special celebrations. The recipe is repeated on manuscripts pre-dating Hadji Bekir by half a millennium.
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