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Mastic (plant Resin)
Mastic ( el, Μαστίχα) is a resin obtained from the mastic tree (''Pistacia lentiscus''). It is also known as tears of Chios, being traditionally produced on the island Chios, and, like other natural resins, is produced in "tears" or droplets. Mastic is excreted by the resin glands of certain trees and dries into pieces of brittle, translucent resin. When chewed, the resin softens and becomes a bright white and opaque gum. The flavor is bitter at first, but after some chewing, it releases a refreshing flavor similar to pine and cedar. History Mastic has been harvested for at least 2,500 years since Greek antiquity. The word ''mastic'' is derived from grc-gre, μαστιχάειν, masticháein, 'to gnash the teeth', which is also the source of the English word ''masticate''. The first mention of actual mastic 'tears' was by Hippocrates. Hippocrates used mastic for the prevention of digestive problems, colds and as a breath freshener. Romans used mastic along with honey, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Çeşme
Çeşme () is a coastal town and the administrative centre of the district of the same name in Turkey's westernmost end, on a promontory on the tip of the peninsula that also carries the same name and that extends inland to form a whole with the wider Urla-Karaburun-Çeşme Peninsula. It is a popular holiday resort and the district center, where two thirds of the district population is concentrated. Çeşme is located 85 km west of İzmir, the largest metropolitan center in Turkey's Aegean Region. There is a six-lane highway connecting the two cities (Otoyol 32). Çeşme district has two neighboring districts, Karaburun to the north and Urla to the east, both of which are also part of İzmir Province. The name "Çeşme" means "fountain" and possibly draws reference from the many Ottoman fountains that are scattered across the city. Name Turkish sources always cited the town and the region as ''Çeşme'' (or Cheshme) which is originally a Persian word since the first se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loukoumi
Turkish delight or lokum ( ota, لوقوم) is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive. The origin of Turkish delight is not precisely known, but the confection is known to have been produced in Turkey and Iran (Persia) as early as the late 18th century. History The exact origin of these sweets is yet to be definitively determined; however, the Turkish word comes from the Arabic . In the Arab world, Turkish delights are called () which means 'throat comfort'. According to the company ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spoon Sweet
A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for transferring food to the mouth. Spoons are also used in food preparation to measure, mix, stir and toss ingredients and for serving food. Present day spoons are made from metal (notably flat silver or silverware, plated or solid), wood, porcelain or plastic. There are a wide variety of spoons that are made of a variety of materials and by different cultures for many different uses and foods. Terminology The spoon consists of a ''bowl'' and a handle. A handle in a shape of a slender stick is frequently called a ''stem''. The stem can end in a sharp point or be crowned with a ''knop'', a decorative knob. The ''knop-top'' spoons with a variety of knop shapes described by colorful terms like "acorn", "writhen-end" (spiral ornament on a ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mastika
Mastika or mastiha is a liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin with a slightly pine or cedar-like flavor gathered from the mastic tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. In Greece, mastiha ( el, μαστίχα) or mastichato ( el, μαστιχάτο) is a sweet liqueur produced with the mastika resin from the Greek island of Chios, which is distilled after hardening to crystals. Sugar is typically added. It is a sweet liqueur that is typically consumed at the end of a meal. It has a distinctive flavor, reminiscent of pine and herbs. It is claimed to have medicinal properties and to aid digestion. In August of 2012, wildfires spread across the island of Chios, scorching 31,480 acres of land, and destroying more than half of the island's mastic orchards. Because the product has a “protected designation of origin” from the European Union, the fire not only impacted local Chios farmers, who lost approximately 60 percent of their crops, but also derailed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee is a style of coffee prepared in a '' cezve'' using very finely ground coffee beans without filtering. Preparation Turkish coffee is very finely ground coffee brewed by boiling. Any coffee bean may be used; arabica varieties are considered best, but robusta or a blend is also used. The coffee grounds are left in the coffee when served. The coffee may be ground at home in a manual grinder made for the very fine grind, ground to order by coffee merchants in most parts of the world, or bought ready-ground from many shops. Coffee and water, usually with added sugar, is brought to the boil in a special pot called '' cezve'' in Turkey, and often called '' ibrik'' elsewhere. As soon as the mixture begins to froth, and before it boils over, it is taken off the heat; it may be briefly reheated twice more to increase the desired froth. Sometimes about one-third of the coffee is distributed to individual cups; the remaining amount is returned to the fire and distributed to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tavuk Göğsü
Tavuk göğsü ( tr, tavukgöğsü, , "chicken breast") is a Turkish milk pudding made with shredded chicken breast. It was a delicacy served to Ottoman sultans in the Topkapı Palace, and is now a well-known dish in Turkey. It has long been believed that this chicken pudding had originated in the Roman recipe collection Apicius, and it was later on passed to Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and subsequently to the Ottoman Empire. However, no surviving copies of Apicius include such a recipe. Similar Arab dishes from the tenth century exist. Considering the lack of evidence for the Roman connection, the possible introduction of tavuk göğsü into Turkish cuisine is likely of Arab origin. The traditional version uses white chicken breast meat. The meat is softened by boiling and separating the meat into very fine fibers or pounding until smooth. The meat is mixed with milk, sugar, cracked rice and other thickeners, and often some sort of flavoring such as cinnamon. The result ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salep
Salep, also spelled sahlep or sahlab,( tr, salep, sahlep; fa, ثعلب, ; ar, سحلب, ; al, salep; az, səhləb; he, סַחְלָבּ, ; el, σαλέπι, ; Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Bosnian: салеп, ''salep'') is a flour made from the tubers of the orchid genus '' Orchis'' (including species '' Orchis mascula'' and ''Orchis militaris''). These tubers contain a nutritious, starchy polysaccharide called glucomannan. Salep flour is consumed in beverages and desserts, especially in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, notably in the Levant where it is a traditional winter beverage. An increase in consumption is causing local extinctions of orchids in parts of Turkey and Iran. Etymology The word "salep" comes from ar, سَحْلَب (). In the mid 18th century: from French, from Turkish , from ar, ثَعْلَب, ﭐلثَعْلَب, ar=ṯa‘lab, fox's (), the name of an orchid (literally ‘fox's testicles’). History The Ancient Romans used groun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sütlaç
Muhallebi is a milk pudding commonly made with rice, sugar, milk and either rice flour, starch or semolina, popular as a dessert in the Middle East. While the dessert is called Muhallebi in Greece, Turkey and Iraq, the Egyptian variant is called Mahalabia, the levantine variant is called Mahalabiyeh. History Legend has it that ''muhallebi'' ( ar, مهلبية) was introduced into Arab cuisine in the late seventh century by a Persian cook from what was then Sassanid Persia (224–651), who served it to an Arab general by the name of Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra. He liked it so much, he named it after himself. The earliest recipes, dating to the 10th century, featured three versions: milk thickened with ground rice, milk with rice grains and chicken, and an egg custard without rice. The earliest recipe for ''muhallabiyya'' is attributed to Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq of Baghdad. Two 13th-century Arab cookbooks, one by al-Baghdadi and another from Andalusia, have a spiced pudding variation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dondurma
Dondurma is the common word in Turkish for all kinds of ice cream that is often used to refer to Turkish mastic ice cream in English. It typically includes the ingredients cream, whipped cream, salep (ground-up tuber of an orchid), mastic (plant resin), and sugar. It is believed to originate from the city and region of Kahramanmaraş, and hence is also known as Maraş ice cream. Description Two qualities distinguish Turkish ice cream: hard texture and resistance to melting, brought about by inclusion of the thickening agents salep, a flour made from the root of the early purple orchid, and mastic, a resin that imparts chewiness. The Kahramanmaraş region is known for ''maraş dondurması'', a variety which contains distinctly more ''salep'' than usual. Tough and sticky, it is sometimes eaten with a knife and fork. Consumption and culture Dondurma is commonly sold from both street vendors' carts and store fronts, where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turkish Delight
Turkish delight or lokum ( ota, لوقوم) is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive. The origin of Turkish delight is not precisely known, but the confection is known to have been produced in Turkey and Iran (Persia) as early as the late 18th century. History The exact origin of these sweets is yet to be definitively determined; however, the Turkish word comes from the Arabic . In the Arab world, Turkish delights are called () which means 'throat comfort'. According to the company, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Booza
''Booza'' ( ar, بُوظَة, Būẓah, lit=ice cream) is an Eastern Levant frozen dairy dessert made with milk, cream, sugar, mastic and ''sahlab'' (orchid flour), giving it its distinguished stretchy and chewy texture—much like dondurma. Booza is traditionally made through a process of pounding and stretching in a freezer drum, instead of the more usual churning method used in other ice creams, leading to a creamy yet dense texture. History Booza origins dates back to at least 1500 AD in Greater Syria and is sometimes referred to as the "first ice cream in the world". Ancient Damascus In Al-Hamidiyah Souq in the Old City of Damascus, there is an ice cream store named Bakdash that is known throughout the Arab world for its stretchy and chewy ice cream. It is a popular attraction for tourists as well. International usage A brother and sister team (Jilbert El-Zmetr and Tedy Altree-Williams) pioneered and created the first packaged version of ''booza'' in Australia i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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