Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44The legendary desserts of Turkey by Owen Rice TURKISH delights #4: sweet temptation THE RIVER SUMMER 2016 • FOOD & DRINK • 15 ver the last twelve months we have travelled Turkey through its food and culture courtesy of Kilikya’s restaurant in St Katherine Docks. From the Iskender Kebab to Moussaka to Turkish coffee and finally in this edition, to the most delightful of sweets. Legend has it that a certain Sultan believed the way to a woman`s heart was through her love of sweet things. He carried on his person it is said, tucked inside his armour, a collection of recipes for exotic sweets which he used to seduce his mistresses. Once, very eager to please a favoured mistress, he ordered his kitchen to prepare a new, sensual and delightful temptation. It was on this sultry evening that Turkish Delight was confirmed as a royal delicacy. The tempting qualities of Turkish Delight continue through literature. The White Queen in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe tempts Edmund to betray his brother and sisters with the sweet. C. S. Lewis writes: “The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious.” Traditional varieties are mostly flavoured with rosewater, Bergamot orange, lemon, cinnamon or mint whilst premium recipes have chopped dates, pistachios and hazelnuts added to the delicately flavoured jelly. After a splendid Kilikya’s meal they well know the allure of serving a coffee with a morsel of Turkish Delight... to tempt you back again. ‘‘ Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious London markets continue to tempt shoppers with Turkish Delights Cubes of the powerfully alluring sweet KILIKYA’S RESTAURANT St Katharine Docks London EC1 t: 020 7488 0813 w: www.kilikyas.com