Turkish Delight made by the traditional Turkish makers of the delicacy from Istanbul and suitable for vegans. Choose from 11 varieties. Get FREE deliv

Turkish Delight made by the traditional Turkish makers of the delicacy from Istanbul and suitable for vegans. Choose from 11 varieties. Get FREE delivery

Phone Number:
07810048177

About Us
Turkish Delight has been a firm favourite of ours for many years and after travelling extensively throughout Turkey, we found it frustrating not having easy access to Real Turkish Delight here in the UK….

Therefore, we visited and sampled dozens of manufacturers in Turkey, and concluded by setting up SULTAN, a company that imports only the finest gelatine-free Turkish Delight. The varieties we provide are the choice of the Turkish people themselves, and are not the usual “tourist” delights. Our Turkish Delight contains only natural ingredients, such as rose petals, coffee grinds, clove, ginger, cinnamon, etc etc….

Following widespread success in the UK, we are now supplying Real Turkish Delight throughout Europe, U.S.A. and as far away as Sri Lanka and India. So please, come in and enjoy this fabulous taste sensation for yourself, the taste that can only be Sultan REAL Turkish Delight!

History of Turkish Delight
Every home in Turkey has a stash of these succulent, sugary cubes, which are offered with tea and coffee, and after breakfast, lunch and dinner. The trays of dusty pink, yellow and green lokum are as much a part of Istanbul life as the imam’s dawn call. Turkish delight must be the only sweet in the world that is so embedded in a country’s national identity. We do not think of Britain and mint humbugs or America and bubblegum, but we do think of Turkey and Turkish delight. Turkish delight was invented by Bekir Affendi, who came to Istanbul in 1777 from the eastern province of Anatolia. He opened his first Turkish Delight shop, in a narrow street close to the spice bazaar, which is still there to this day and is still owned by his descendants and run by the fifth generation of families he employed.

Bekir concocted the recipe for Turkish delight in 1777 as an improvement on an old mixture of honey or molasses, water, and flour. He used cornflour and the newly available refined beet sugar and developed the firm, chewy delicacy. Word spread and the Sultan appointed him chief confectioner to the palace.

He traveled the world, winning medals in Vienna, Cologne, Brussels and Paris for the quality of his confectionery. The medals and the Sultan’s certificate lines the offices. The next two generations were also appointed to serve the palace. Little has changed in 225 years. The classic flavours remain rose, lemon, mint, and mastic. But the Turks’ favourite – and the biggest seller – is a plain jelly studded with pistachios. Making Turkish delight is slow, first slurry is made of starch and water, and then sugar is added and the mixture cooked for two hours. It is poured into wooden trays dusted with starch and left to rest for two days before being cut into squares. Some people prefer their lokum “double-cooked”, where the solution is cooked for a full four hours to give it a caramel taste and firmer texture.

There is something bewitching about the original shop, with its marble floor, floral-painted ceiling and gleaming chrome and glass counter.  The original fireplace where Turkish delight was invented has been preserved and behind the brass counter stand four serious-looking Turks in white coats dishing out ladlefuls of dusty delights. On the wall is a copy of a portrait of a big-bellied, white-bearded Bekir, who became Haci after he completed the haj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca. The original watercolour by the Maltese artist Amadeo Preziosi hangs in the Louvre in Paris and shows the old man weighing the lokum for two small children and their mother.

The Seker Bayram (sugar festival) marking the end of Ramadan is Haci Bekir’s peak season, when the company’s four small shops can expect to sell 10 tons in a day. During the religious festivals, the tradition is for the hostess to offer lokum to her guests as soon as they arrive. She passes a dainty glass dish, saying: “Let’s eat sweet. Let’s talk sweet.”

Bekir’s great-great-granddaughter, Hande Celalyan, is the deputy director working alongside her father, Dogan Sahin. Celalyan works on the fifth floor of the branch in Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrianised street in the heart of modern Istanbul. Above her desk is a portrait of her mother, the heir to the business, who died in her forties.

Even today the production of Turkish Delight is a boutique art. Every batch of Turkish delight is cooked with a person watching and deciding when it is ready.

You can appreciate the tradition and dedication to this Turkish Delicacy, every time you bite into one of our Turkish Delights.
The Turkish name for the sweet comes from the Arabic rahat-ul hulkum, which means “soothe or heal the throat”. This was abbreviated to rahat lokum and then lokum. The name “Turkish delight” evolved in the 18th century when an English traveller took home some of Bekir’s produce to his relatives. He could not pronounce the Arabic name and so coined Turkish delight. It stuck like syrup.

Real Authentic Turkish Delight

Sultan Turkish Delight is the connoisseurs’ choice for Real Turkish Delight! Our Turkish Delight contains only natural ingredients, such as Rose Petals, Coffee Beans, Clove, Cinnamon, Various Nuts, Coconut and Ginger. We import only the finest Real Gelatine-Free Turkish Delight. The varieties we provide are the choice of the Turkish people themselves, and is not the usual “tourist” delight. We feel confident you will enjoy this very unique taste of the East. If you thought you didn’t like Turkish Delight, try ours, as we feel assured you will be impressed with both the texture and flavour, of our REAL Turkish Delight!

Traditional Flavours of Authentic Turkish Delights

Traditional Turkish delights are a treat that is enjoyed by people all over the World. However, the varieties and brands that are available in many countries are very different to the traditional flavours and recipes used in the East. This means that you may never have tasted the sheer pleasure that comes from authentic Turkish Delights. This is why we have set up a website to sell the original recipe so that you can buy them exactly how they were always meant to be enjoyed.

Weddings

We supply turkish delight wedding favours in a choice of 9 organza bags. Choose your organza bag, and the flavour of turkish delight you would like in each one. Each bag can contain up to 8 sweets and can be personalised with a name or message. If you would like a combination of different coloured bags or flavours, you can simply repeat this process to add as many bag/colour combinations as you wish to your basket. (Minimum Order 20 bags)