To the uninitiated, their only experience of Turkish Delight comes from CS Lewis’ 1950 novel, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, or perhaps even the 2005 film. Edward is tempted by Turkish Delight because it is the thing he loves best:

“‘It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating,’ said the Queen presently. ‘What would you like best to eat?’

‘Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty,’ said Edmund.

The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious.”

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, CS Lewis

This irresistible temptation piqued people’s interests and Turkish Delight sales hit an all-time high. Yet many people still don’t quite understand what Turkish Delight is. Particularly if you’re British, where most likely your only experience of Turkish Delight is covered in chocolate and also not proper Turkish Delight – not naming any names.

So, where does Turkish Delight really come from?

An old Turkish aphorism tells one to ‘eat sweetly and speak sweetly’

Traditional Turkish Delight dates back 500 years or more to the Ottoman Empire, making it one of the oldest sweets in the world. There are many legends associated with it’s origins. One such legend involves the Sultan Abdul Hamid. Abdul Hamid was not considered to be a great military leader, but he did possess an understanding of women. He believed that the way to a woman’s heart was through her stomach.

Eager to woo his four wives and hundreds of mistresses he summoned to his court the greatest confectioners in the Empire and ordered them to come up with a sweet that was so delicious that the ladies of his harem would stop their arguing and peace would reign throughout the palace. And so Turkish Delight, or Lokum as it was known then, was born.

The confectioners’ efforts worked wonders. The bickering ceased and the Sultan himself found the dish so tasty and stimulating he insisted on a plate of Lokum with their daily feast. From then on, it became an institution of the Ottoman Court.

Turkish Delight in the West

Sometime in the 19th century, an unknown British traveller discovered Lokum. He could not remember (or perhaps could not pronounce) the name for this ‘delightful confection’, so simply called it Turkish Delight.

Traditionally offered as a treat at Christmas within the west, Turkish Delight has now become popular to enjoy year-round.

Pablo Picasso used to eat Turkish Delight on a daily basis as aides to his concentration, while Winston Churchill and Napoleon relished pistachio filled Turkish Delight. And it’s still a firm favourite today.

Our journey

We began in a garage in 2003 and now supply to clients from all over the world. Some of our distributors and stockists have included: Thornton’s, The Health Store, Lakeland and Wholefoods. We also have partnerships with a variety of retailers from delicatessens, department stores and hamper companies, to natural food retailers. Our products have even been sold in Liberty London and the British Museum.

At Truede, we consider it our personal mission to give you proper Turkish Delight, because we’re of the opinion that there’s nothing better. We use authentic recipes, some of which date back over 500 years and have the benefit of being made from natural ingredients. This means that our Turkish Delight, produced in Istanbul, Turkey is GM Free, Gluten Free and suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. We want everyone to be able to enjoy our variety of mouth-watering flavours. Our aim is to provide high quality confectionery for health conscious consumers worldwide.

This also means producing a wide variety of Turkish Delight for our customers to enjoy, from staples of rose and lemon and rose with rose petals to bold flavours such as pomegranate and mixed nut. We also have a sugar free Turkish Delight, so no one is left out. And yes, sometimes we even cover it in chocolate.

So why not try some Truede Turkish Delight today?

We promise; you’ll be delighted.