The moment my Istanbul trip was confirmed, I started
dreaming about having delicious Turkish Delight or Lokum (in Turkish). I
started searching on internet about the best source of this exotic delicacy and
I came to know about Haji Bekir (Hacı Bekir) which is an age old confectionery who has
brought the international fame to this Local dessert.
From the very next day I landed on Istanbul, I started
looking for Haji Bekir shop. I would like to take the opportunity to
share a bit of my experience about Istanbul in this context. Istanbul is a
beautiful city. I loved it. It was my first abroad tour and how fortunate I was to start with Istanbul. I have heard a lot about many European cities, their
glory, their history, their architecture, culture and people. Some from
friends, some from the television and much from the internet. I bet, this
Eurasian city is no less than any European city in any aspect. Magnificent sea
sores, beautiful and warm people, excellent Mediterranean weather, wonderful
food and most importantly a huge glorious past. I was overwhelmed to live such
wonderful 30 days in the city of Istanbul.
Back to Turkish Delight, finally I found the famous Haji
Bekir in Takshim Square (Taksim Meydanı). It was another great place to explore but I don’t want
to make it long with all those lovely experience which all deserves a good
amount of space on the page for each of them. The day I visited Takshim was the
first weekend there and I had plan to buy Lokum on the final weekend so that I
can bring all those lovely flavours to India and share with family and friends.
Meanwhile something really bad happened. A bomb blast killed
11 people, some place near Takshim and I was alerted to visit such crowded place.
Though I can visit LOC or Syria if a mouth watering dish waits for me there.
But still I started looking for some other branch of Haji Bekir or any such
store and there I found Sekerji Cafer Erol.
It was a lovely sunny afternoon in Kadikoy sea sore (Kadıköy Sahili). The sea breeze had made the place splendidly romantic along with golden rays from sun over the
sea. Exploring the narrow stone lanes packed with loads of aromatic food from the
cafes, full of food lovers making me feel excited from inside. On a busy corner I
found Sekerji Cafer Erol (Şekerci Cafer Erol). A dessert shop which I felt no less than a jewellery
shop. Starting from the Baklavas, Tulumbas, Akide Candies, Chocolates and
Turkish Delights. I could not count the number of verities they had for each of
the item. My pictures explains a bit (yes! A bit only. It can’t express the
feeling I had while taking the pictures). For a little introduction of Turkish
Delight, it is a Gelatin made sweet with variant flavors and contain good
amount of nuts and also coated with icing sugar, rose petals, saffron, nuts to
prevent sticking. If you order a Kg of Lokum, they will stuff the packet with
all of the kind in proportion to give a supreme look and utmost attraction. I
ordered 3 Kgs of such Turkish (sounds a lot to you but I tasted a few only
after sharing with everyone L
). I had Mint with Pistachio, Pomegranate with Pistachio, Orange with Hazel
Nuts, Rose with Pistachio, Saffron with Hazel Nuts and Coffee with Pistachio in
a box. I must be honest to say that I cannot share the feeling of having any of
this delicious piece in my mouth, I must try yourself. I can share the pictures
only if that can complement.
If you are in Istanbul, just don’t miss it. Given another
chance, I may have a separate luggage bag for Lokum and I am not going to share
with you! ;)
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| Delicious Candies |
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| Mouth Watering Baked Desserts |
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| Flavor Blast Turkish Delights |
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