Didem - Famous Turkish Belly Dancer Videos

Asena - Famous Turkish Belly Dancer Videos

Zümre - Famous Turkish Belly Dancer Videos

What is Simit?

Simit is a type of circular shape bread or pastry with many sesame seeds on it.  Simit might sound like pretzel, but it tastes much different.  It is salty, and tasty.  Simit is a traditional pastry in Turkish Cuisine.

Different cities in Turkey have different types of simit recipes.  Their crunchiness and chewiness might be different.  Simit is called as Gevrek in and around Izmir (Turkish City).

In Turkey, simit is usually sold by street vendors on a cart or on a cicular wooden tray which is being carried on the street vendor’s head.  Even though this way of selling simit is being replaced by more modern ways (simit carts, or simit carts), there are still many simit sellers who sell simit on the streets of Turkey.  Below is a picture of a traditional simit street seller carrying simit.

Traditional Simit Seller

---

Modern Simit Vendor Cart

---

Simit with Turkish Feta Cheese & Turkish Black Olives

---

Turkish Coffee House (Kahvehane) is a traditional looking cafe where people meet for Turkish Coffee, Turkish Tea and play card & board games while they chat.  When we say Kahvehane, we don’t mean a regular coffee shop you might see everyday in Western World, or in any part of modern Turkey.

Why is a Turkish Coffee House called Kahvehane?

Kahve means Coffee, and Hane means House in Turkish. Therefore Kahvehane means “House of Coffee“.

Even though Kahvehane is a commonly used word in Turkish, to make it short most people use simply KAHVE (coffee) to call a Turkish Coffee House.

History of Turkish Coffee Houses

At the beginning of 16th century, first forms of what we call Turkish Coffee Houses now were seen in; Mecca Saudi Arabia, Cairo Egypt and Damascus Syria.  During the middle of 16th century this coffee house tradition has come to Istanbul, Turkey (Reference 1).

According to Historian Ibrahim Pecevi (İbrahim Peçevi), first coffee houses were opened around Tahtakale, Istanbul by two guys named; Halepli Hakem and Samli Sems (Şamlı Şems) during 1554.  At the beginning of 19th century, there were around 2500 Turkish Coffee Houses in Turkey.  These coffee houses have become an important part of Turkish Culture during the years.

Since the first Turkish Coffee House opening at 16th century, Turkish Coffee Houses have become a centralized place for Turkish People where to meet, discuss daily topics along with politics, play card games and okey (board game). 

Even though many Turkish People still believe most of the people who visit these Turkish Coffee Houses are lazy, retired, unemployed, or have nothing else to do with their lives, Turkish Coffee Houses are becoming popular again in Turkey with young generations’ interest.

 Pictures of Turkish Coffee Houses

19th century, Istanbul
People having Turkish Nargile & Turkish Coffee in front of a Turkish Coffee House

---

A modern Turkish Coffee House in 21st century

---

An open Turkish Coffee House in a Turkish Town

---

A scene from a Turkish Movie which takes place at a Traditonal Turkish Coffee House in a village

---

If you ever get a chance to visit Turkey, you should stop by a traditional Turkish Coffee House and have a cup of Turkish Coffee.References

1. Vikipedi Kahvehane (Turkish Wikipedia Site)

Related Shopping Resources

• Authentic Turkish Coffee (Authentic Turkish Coffee Brands imported from Turkey)
• Turkish Tea (Turkish Black Tea is a favorite drink at Turkish Coffee Houses)
• Traditional Turkish Coffee Pots

Normally, items that merchants sell to tourists come from the traditions of that country’s culture. But in the case of Turkish Apple Tea, you’ll find a product that was created for tourists that has now become a tradition.

Turkish Apple Tea was originally prepared and served in the tradition of Turkish Black Tea until the 1980’s. Carpet sellers in the old city of Istanbul would serve tea to their customers who came from all over the world as a way to please them while shopping. As more and more customers came to them, they needed a faster way to serve their clients tea. “Turkish Apple Tea” was the result of this need. A simpler and faster version of tasty and refreshing apple tea, Turkish Apple Tea is stored in boxes as a powder which reduces the preparation time by a lot. Since then, it has become the most popular drink served in carpet stores and huka (nargile in Turkish) bars in Turkey. Here’s a tip: it is especially good with fruit flavored hukas.

One of the reasons that make Turkish Apple Tea a great choice for hospitality is that it’s refreshing in both summer and winter. It is the world’s first instant hot apple drink which can also be made with cold water. The powder does not contain real apple ingredients, but it tastes and smells like apple and has a fruity aftertaste.

Do you need go to Turkey just to taste Turkish Apple Tea?

Although it is always worth the time and money you would spend to travel to Turkey, there’s another way to taste Turkish Apple Tea: Buy Turkish Apple Tea at Turkish Corner and start making it right away.

Here are easy steps for the two options of making it:
Hot Apple Tea:

1- Place 2 teaspoons of powder apple tea into a cup.
2- Pour in hot water and stir. Add sugar to taste.

Cold Apple Tea:

1- Place 2 teaspoon of powder apple tea into a cup.
2- Pour in cold water and stir. You may add ice cubes.

Halvah (known as Helva in Turkish, and Halvah or Halva in other languages) is a Turkish origin special sweet/dessert.

Halvah is principally made of two basic substances that are sesame oil and sugar. It also contains a slight quantity of acidity regulator (lemon salt or in other terms citric acid), halvah root consisting of a substance named soapwort extract and also natural vanilla flavour. Cocoa and roasted pistachios are added to these basic substances in the production of flavoured halvah such as cocoa halvah and pistachio halvah.

The sesame oil used in the manufacture of halvah is a product that is obtained from the grinding of sesame seeds in our automatic sesame-processing establishments and contains absolutely no additive. Besides forming a basic substance of halvah, sesame oil is itself a product offered to consumption. During the production of halvah, the syrup formerly boiled at high temperatures is beaten together with the soapwort extract to form a nougat consistency. Subsequently, it is kneaded with sesame oil in a traditional way. This process is the most important one because it influences the quality of the halvah. Following the kneading operation, the procedures of moulding, resting and packing are carried out.

Nutricion Facts of Halvah

As sesame contains rich nutriments, it provides an important nutritious supplement to sesame oil and halvah. It is particularly rich in protein, calcium, phosphor and vitamin E.

100 gr. of halvah contains minimum:

• 10 gr. of protein (25% of the recommended daily quantity);
• 255 mg. of calcium (32% of the daily needs);
• 400 mg. of phosphor (50% of the daily needs);
• 2.4 mg. of vitamin E (24% of the daily needs);

Whereas 100 gr. of sesame oil contains:

• 17 gr. of protein (34% of the recommended daily quantity);
• 426 mg. of calcium (3 times the calcium contained in milk and 53% of the recommended daily quantity);
• 732 mg. of phosphor (91% of the daily needs) as well as 4 mg. of vitamin E (40% of the daily needs).

As sesame is moreover rich in omega3 oil, it provides extra advantages for the health of the heart. With its high energetic value (500 kcal./100 gr. halvah and 595 kcal. / 100 gr. sesame oil), it proves to be ideal in meeting the needs of children in period of development, athletes and hard task workers.

How Should Helva Be Stored?

The recommended storing temperature is of 8-12°C (46 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit) and the conditional humidity should be of 45-60%. It is generally advised to store and keep them in a dry, cool place. The humidity rate is particularly important for halvah and Turkish delights. Stopping any contact with the environment by tightly closing the halvah’s packing after opening will prevent the halvah from losing its sensory characteristics. It should be kept away from direct sunlight and should not bear any heavy weight. If not, it could be squashed and you could encounter leakage problems.

How To Order Halvah?

If you like to try this delicious dessert, you might order Authentic Turkish Helva at Turkish Corner.  Turkish Corner will ship your halvah same day upon receiving your order from New York, USA.

Turkish Delight Articles What is Turkish Delight? Turkish Delight History Turkish Delight Recipe Turkish Delight Pictures

Turkish Delight does not have a standard shape and taste. There are many recipes with slightly different ingredients and techniques to make Turkish Delight.

If you prefer Rose Flavored Turkish Delight, then you will have red and plain, if you prefer mint it will be all green, you may also like double roasted with pistachio which will be a different look and taste.

Other than being delicious, Turkish Delight will be a great addition to your beautiful table setting. It will bring color, flavor and taste.

Here’s a large selection of Turkish Delight Pictures.
Read the rest of this entry

Turkish Delight Articles What is Turkish Delight? Turkish Delight History Turkish Delight Recipe Turkish Delight Pictures

There are many Recipes for Turkish Delight Candy available both online and offline. Even though Turkish Delight recipe is fairly easy to make at home, it is very hard to catch the true form and taste. It is easy to explain the ingredients and how to make Turkish Delight, but it is extremely hard to make the accurate form of softness (not too soft, not too hard).

If you really want to try making Turkish Delight at home, we highly recommend purchasing a box of Turkish delight, and comparing the authentic taste with your homemade delights. Because this candy is known as Sultan’s favorite, and very delicious, and we don’t want you to miss the authentic taste.

We will share two different Turkish Delight Recipes, you will make the choice.  For now, we will offer the easy recipe.  We will be adding a traditional one with the video instructions.

Practical Recipe for Turkish Delight

Here’s a very easy Turkish Delight Recipe if you like to try it at home.

Read the rest of this entry

Turkish Delight Articles What is Turkish Delight? Turkish Delight History Turkish Delight Recipe Turkish Delight Pictures

According to many reliable sources, including the official Ottoman History Books, Turkish Delight (Lokum in Turkish) was invented by Bekir Effendi during the 18th Century.

Scottish Historian and Novelist Reay Tannahill recognizes Bekir Effendi, but believes the ancestor of Turkish Delight was Ahbisa (A Persian Confection, similar to jelly) (1).

The research about the History of Turkish Delight, the documents from the Ottoman Palace Archives, and the awards given to Bekir Effendi (with Modern Turkish, written as Bekir Efendi) clearly shows that Turkish Delight (Lokum) was invented at the end of 18th Century.
Read the rest of this entry

Turkish Delight Articles What is Turkish Delight? Turkish Delight History Turkish Delight Recipe Turkish Delight Pictures

“Eat Sweet, Talk Sweet” is a famous Turkish saying.  It shows a sense of Turkish Hospitality. When you are guest at a Turkish House, you will be overwhelmed with the food and drinks you’re served. Turkish Coffee, Turkish Tea, and Turkish Delight are the most common servings during a visit to a Turkish House.

What is actually Turkish Delight?

It is a famous soft candy called as LOKUM (loukoum) in Turkish. This confection is made from starch and sugar. Lokum was founded by Haci Bekir during the 18th century and became known in Europe as ‘Turkish delight’ when an English tourist visited Haci Bekir’s Shop and took some lokum home to England (1). Thus, this traditional Turkish sweet entered the English language and became known as ‘lokoum’ throughout France and the Balkan countries.
Read the rest of this entry

Turkish Corner Portal is launched today.  We would like to share our knowledge about Turkey, Turkish History, cuisine, culture, and update you about important news about Turkey.  We will be creating the most comprehensive guide/portal about Turkey.

At Turkish Corner Portal you will find the largest collection of photos, and videos about Turkey.  We have created this portal as a blog, this way our readers (you) can comment on the topics, and we can start interactive discussions about specific topics.

 If you have articles, news, and/or information about Turkey, please do not hesitate to send us, we will be happy to post them here at our portal and share with our readers.