[Sca-cooks] British Candy

[Sue Clemenger]

Re: rahat loukoum...I dunno what that even translates to, and I've not
yet had the fortunate circumstance to enter a Middle Eastern
grocery....*sigh*
The British "turkish delight" caught my eye because I'd heard that
turkish delight was similar to a (relatively) local candy known as
Aplets and Cotlets, which I like. It came in a flat, rectangular bar,
about half the size of an American Hershey bar, and was primarily made
of a strongly rose-flavored jelly-stuff, with a light/moderate coating
of milk chocolate.  I say "jelly" only because I lack a more accurate
term--it was more like the center of a soft "fruit slice" or gumdrop,
than anything else.
I don't recall pistachios one way or t'other, and I'm pretty sure there
wasn't any date-ness involved.  No powdered sugar, either, so it's
apparently quite different from the middle-eastern variety you're
thinking of....
And what is your opinion on bangers? I had a number of sausages (the
breakfast variety) in both Britain and Ireland, and about all I noticed
was that they were all much smoother in texture than American breakfast
links, and frequently *very* strongly tasting of sage.
--Maire

"Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" wrote:
>
> Also sprach Amanda Blackwolf:
> >And I didn't realize how much I missed them until my grandparents brought
> >them over on a visit a few years ago. I gotta agree w/ maire about the
> >Turkish Delight. ICK, YUCK, but my brother LOVES the stuff. Like I said, I
> >just have to pop over to Things UK, but finding the time is not easy when
> >you are warping two inkle looms and uncovering your banquet tables and
> >fetching a pavillion ....... for our annual demo tomorrow. AND bake cheese
> >bread for the revel! (shhhhh.....it's a secret)
>
> Ummm. With respect. Forgive my ignorance, but what's the rationale
> that Things UK, or for that matter, anywhere either in or catering to
> the UK, would sell better Turkish Delight than a Middle Eastern
> grocery selling rahat loukhoum? What's this rose-flavored jelly
> stuff? (To say nothing of chocolate!)
>
> While I have seen Turkish Delight that has indeed been a sort of
> rose-flavored jelly, the best stuff I've seen has been bought by the
> pound, cut from a spiralled rope of date-based jelly mixed with
> _lots_ of pistachios (the date goo is essentially a substrate),
> lightly flavored with rosewater, and rolled in powdered sugar.
>
> Are we talking about a massive, evolved style shift that has become a
> separate species from the original?
>
> That's okay, I'm still a persona au gratin with some people for my
> views on bangers ;-)
>
> Adamantius
>