Turkish desserts recipes
40 Turkish desserts recipes, each written for this site and each saying what its method turns on.
- Aşure, sourced from Turkey. Every grain and pulse is cooked separately before they meet, because none of them cooks at the same rate. vegan.
- Ayva Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The seeds and cores go into the pan with the fruit, because that is where the pectin is that sets the syrup. vegetarian.
- Bağaça, sourced from Turkey. Leavened with a chickpea ferment started half a day ahead, not with yeast. vegetarian.
- Bici Bici, sourced from Turkey. A plain starch block is cut into cubes and served over ice shaved fine enough to melt on the tongue. vegan.
- Biga Peynir Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The balls are baked rather than fried, and they must not break apart once the syrup goes on. Egg.
- Bülbül Yuvası, sourced from Turkey. The sheet is wrapped round a thin rod and pushed together to pleat before it is coiled, with the centre left hollow. vegetarian.
- Cevizli İrmik Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The walnuts go into the batter rather than on top, and the syrup is spiced with cloves and orange zest. Egg, vegetarian.
- Cezerye, sourced from Turkey. Grated carrot is boiled and then roasted dry with sugar until the paste comes away from the pan in one mass. vegan.
- Dibile, sourced from Turkey. The strips are folded in the hot oil itself and then dipped in syrup, where the dry version is only dusted. Egg, vegetarian.
- Dondurma, sourced from Turkey. Salep and mastic make it chewy enough to pull, and it is beaten rather than churned. vegetarian.
- Ekmek Kadayıfı, sourced from Turkey. Made from a dried bread round and no threads at all, soaked until it swells to twice its thickness. vegetarian.
- Güllaç, sourced from Turkey. Nothing is cooked — the starch sheets soften in warm sweetened milk in the dish they are served from. vegetarian.
- Hoşmerim, sourced from Turkey. Fresh unsalted cheese is cooked until it stops behaving like cheese and turns to a stringy paste.
- İzmir Bombası, sourced from Turkey. The filling goes in frozen, which is the only way the outside bakes crisp while the centre stays liquid. Egg, vegetarian.
- Kabak Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. Layered with sugar overnight, then cooked in nothing but the liquid that draws out of it. vegetarian.
- Kadın Göbeği, sourced from Turkey. A dimple is pressed into each ball with a wet finger before frying, and it survives the oil. Egg, vegetarian.
- Kalburabastı, sourced from Turkey. The dough is pressed against a sieve to take the riddled pattern, then folded round the walnuts. Egg, vegetarian.
- Kandil Simidi, sourced from Turkey. A biscuit and not a bread despite the name — there is no yeast and it is meant to snap. Egg, vegetarian.
- Kazandibi, sourced from Turkey. The pudding is deliberately burnt against the base of the pan, and that burnt layer is turned out to become the top. vegetarian.
- Kemalpaşa Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The balls are fried and then simmered in the syrup itself, which is what makes them swell. Egg.
- Keşkül, sourced from Turkey. The almonds are ground and steeped in the milk, then strained out — so it tastes of almond without being gritty. Egg, vegetarian.
- Köylü Pastası, sourced from Turkey. Four ingredients and no sugar in the dough — it is sweetened only by what goes on top. Egg, vegetarian.
- Lokma, sourced from Turkey. A wet yeasted batter squeezed out between thumb and forefinger, so each one tears off round. vegan.
- Lokum, sourced from Turkey. The starch and sugar are cooked together for an hour until a drop in cold water holds a thread. vegetarian.
- Macun, sourced from Turkey. Five flavours are cooked as five separate pastes and never mixed — they are wound onto the stick side by side. vegan.
- Mesir Macunu, sourced from Turkey. The spices are infused into the syrup and then strained out again, so what sets is clear of grit. vegetarian.
- Muğla Halkası, sourced from Turkey. The fat is olive oil rather than butter, and lemon juice is what brings the dough together. Egg, vegetarian.
- Nevzine Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The syrup is grape molasses rather than sugar, and a splash of vinegar sets the bicarbonate working. Egg, vegetarian.
- Şambali, sourced from Turkey. It is cut into diamonds before it bakes, not after, so the syrup runs down the cuts. vegetarian.
- Şekerpare, sourced from Turkey. Each ball is pressed with the thumb and an almond set in the hollow, which is also what stops it doming. Egg, vegetarian.
- Supangle, sourced from Turkey. A layer of plain cake goes in the bottom of each glass and the hot chocolate pudding is poured straight onto it. Egg, vegetarian.
- Sütlü Nuriye, sourced from Turkey. Hot milk is poured over it instead of syrup, which is what makes it pale. vegetarian.
- Şıllık, sourced from Turkey. Thin crepes rather than pastry, folded over ground walnuts and then soaked. Egg, vegetarian.
- Tahinli Pide, sourced from Turkey. The tahini is swirled onto the shaped dough with the fingertips, never rolled up inside it. vegetarian.
- Tavukgöğsü, sourced from Turkey. Chicken breast is the thickener, pounded to threads so fine they cannot be seen or tasted. Chicken.
- Tel Kadayıf, sourced from Turkey. The butter is rubbed through every strand by hand before any of it is laid in the tray. vegetarian.
- Trileçe, sourced from Turkey. Three different milks soak one sponge, and a caramel is poured over the top to set as a lid. Egg, vegetarian.
- Tulumba, sourced from Turkey. The dough is piped straight into the oil and snipped to length with wet scissors. Egg, vegetarian.
- Yanıksı Dondurma, sourced from Turkey. The milk is deliberately scorched against the base of the pan, and the burnt layer is stirred back in. vegetarian.
- Zerde, sourced from Turkey. Made with water and no milk at all, which is what lets the saffron colour show. vegan.
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