Ottoman Confectionary Seminar By Mary Işın

Priscilla Mary Işın is an English food resarcher, who has been living in Turkey since 1973. She has published several books on culinary culture of Turkey, and her latest book “Sherbet and Spice” explains the history behind the Ottoman Sweets and Desserts. On November 27th, YESAM hosted Mary Işın for a seminar on Traditional Ottoman Confectionary; Sweets.

Mary Işın started explaining the history of Ottoman sweets, mainly confectionaries starting with 1580’s. Sugar and candies made out of sugar were an important part of any celebration at the Ottoman palace. During the Sultan’s sons’ circumcision ceremonies, the most siginificant way to show the candies were through floats or sugar gardens prepared by confectioners. In the floats or sugar gardens there would be various fruits and animals made out of candies.

Continuing with other types of candies and sweets, Mary Işın talked about “cevizli sucuk”, “horoz şekeri”(a candy shaped like cockerels), “lokum” (Turkish delight) and various types of “helva,” and explained the making process of these sweets. As a researcher, and to gather information for her book, Mrs. Işın traveled around Anatolia and met some of these candy makers in person and witnessed the preparation process. She included some pictures of these processes in her slide show during the seminar, which made the seminar all the more colorful.

At the end of the seminar the participants were offered Turkish delight, akide şekeri (traditional hard candy), and keten helvası.