Turkish Delights Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dondurma

Dondurma differs from Western ice cream both in texture and malleability. Two ingredients are responsible for this. Salep is one, which is flour made from the roots of the orchids Orchis Morio or Orchis Mascula. Salep prevents dondurma from melting easily. Mastic is the second ingredient, an aromatic resin which makes dondurma stretchy and chewy, much like a very creamy chewing gum. Dondurma is usually served in cones by street vendors.

Answer: Kek

Western type cakes, made with flour, sugar, eggs and butter, are not traditional in Turkish cuisine. The recipes were imported from France with the French pâtissiers who worked at the Palace during the Ottoman era. A more common cake in Turkey would be made with semolina flour and soaked in rose water flavored syrup.

Answer: Saplı şeker

Saplı şeker literally means "sweet on a stem" and it is much like a western lollipop, a little sweeter and usually in the form of a spiral.

Answer: Çiclet

The most common flavor for Turkish chewing gum is rose water or mastic, although, a more traditional Turkish way of refreshing one's breath would be to chew on a cardamom pod, a coffee bean or a few mint leaves.

Answer: Şerbet

Şerbet is a non-alcoholic sweetened fruit juice flavored with spices like cinnamon, clove or star anise and flower petals. It is served chilled and it is very popular in Turkey, a şerbetçi (vendor and server of Şerbet) is a very respected profession.

Answer: Çikolata

In Turkey, apart from the chocolate made from the beans of the cocoa plant, another popular type of chocolate-like sweet is made from the pods of the carob tree.

Answer: Sütlaç

Among the most popular Turkish desserts, the rice pudding (Sütlaç) is made with rice, milk, sugar and cinnamon. Sometimes it is broiled in the oven and the top is browned.

Answer: Kurabiye

Kurabiye is the traditional Turkish cookie, made with butter and corn starch and flavored with a wide variety of ingredients, like tahini, peach, apple, almond, dates and walnuts. After they are baked they are coated in confectioner's sugar.

Answer: Şekerleme

Şeker means sugar and sweet (noun and adjective) in Turkish and şekerleme is any kind of small candy, bonbon, confection or candied fruit.

Answer: Lokum

The most typical Turkish sweet, lokum is a small piece of aromatic gel, made with sugar and starch, soft and chewy, flavored with fruits or herbs and rolled in starch. Its Arab name means "throat comfort". The flavors and colors of Turkish delights are endless, my personal favorite being bergamot flavored (pale green color) with a whole blanched almond in the middle.