Safranbolu Turkish Delight


Product Description and Distinctive Features:

Safranbolu Lokumu is a product made by adding various ingredients such as sugar (sucrose), water, starch, and citric acid. It has been associated with Safranbolu for many years and is a unique delight to the region. The cut surface of the delight has a shiny appearance, it does not stick to the teeth when bitten and does not stick to the palate when chewed. Consumption leaves no raw starch taste in the mouth and throat and does not create a burning sensation. When compressed between two fingers, it has an elastic texture.

Safranbolu Turkish Delight

Production Method:

Safranbolu Lokumu is a product deeply rooted in the local culture and has been passed down through generations with traditional knowledge. Therefore, it is essential to have experienced individuals who have worked in the production of the product for at least five years.

For the production of Safranbolu Lokumu, water obtained from edible underground water sources within the borders of the Safranbolu district is used. These waters are free from industrial and agricultural chemicals, and they have a semi-hard quality in terms of drinkability (7.0-pH). Due to the magnesium mineral in the water, it leaves a slight bitterness in the mouth when consumed.

In a copper boiler, 10 liters of water, 50 kg of powdered sugar, 5-6 kg of cornstarch, and 50-65 g of citric acid are mixed. A copper boiler is used because it evenly conducts heat, affecting the flavor. Later, 50 liters of water are added to the mixture, and stirring continues until the mixture boils. The mixture is boiled until the delight reaches the desired consistency for 3 to 3.5 hours. The boiling temperature should be 110-115 oC in summer and 105-110 oC in winter for the delight to achieve the desired consistency. The boiling delight is poured into wooden molds in 4 kg portions. Before pouring the delight into the molds, oily baking paper used for cooking is placed inside the molds. Additionally, the surface of the wooden mold used must be smooth.

The poured delight is left to rest in the molds for at least 16 hours. After resting, the delight, covered with 280 g to 320 g of desiccated coconut, is placed on a marble counter to prepare for packaging. When placing the delight on the marble counter, the oiled paper surface of the mold is placed facing down. The top is moistened with a wet sponge and flipped over. This way, coconut adheres to the surface without oily paper. The same process is repeated for the mold with the oiled paper surface moistened with a wet sponge to peel off the oily paper. After peeling, 13 to 15 calibrated hazelnuts are placed on this surface for each mold.

As a result of covering the delight with hazelnuts and desiccated coconut, the delight is rolled into a long roll called "somağ," then cut and prepared for sale. Safranbolu Lokumu is packaged and stored in a cool, dry, and hygienic environment. One piece of Safranbolu Lokumu is cylindrical, with a thickness of 1.9 to 2.1 cm and a diameter of at least 3 cm. It contains at least one hazelnut.

For other variations, flavoring ingredients such as 3.5 to 4.5 kg of rose paste for rose-flavored delight, 35 to 45 g of mastic for mastic-flavored delight, and at least 20 kg of roasted red pistachios for the delight containing Geographical Indication (GI) Antep Pistachio are used during the boiling stage using the above-mentioned technique. Flavorings are added 10 minutes before the delight reaches the desired consistency to ensure that they do not lose their unique taste, aroma, and other characteristics through excessive boiling. In production, different nuts or nut mixtures can be used to make Safranbolu Lokumu. However, artificial flavors, essences, and food coloring are not used in the production of Safranbolu Lokumu.

Saffron Safranbolu Delight: Saffron Safranbolu Delight is a product deeply rooted in the local culture, passed down through generations with traditional knowledge, and has reached the present day. Therefore, it is necessary to have experienced individuals who have worked in the production of the product for at least five years.

For the production of Saffron Safranbolu Delight, water obtained from edible underground water sources within the borders of the Safranbolu district is used. These waters are free from industrial and agricultural chemicals, and they have a semi-hard quality in terms of drinkability (7.0-pH). Due to the magnesium mineral in the water, it leaves a slight bitterness in the mouth when consumed.

In a copper boiler, 10 liters of water, 50 kg of powdered sugar, 5.5 to 6.5 kg of cornstarch, and 50 to 65 g of citric acid are mixed. A copper boiler is used because it evenly conducts heat, affecting the flavor. Later, 50 liters of water are added to the mixture, and stirring continues until the mixture boils. The mixture is boiled until the delight reaches the desired consistency for 3 to 3.5 hours. The boiling temperature is 115-120 oC in summer and 110-115 oC in winter. After the boiling process is completed, the delight is left to cool in the copper boiler. Meanwhile, 8 to 10 g of saffron is soaked in 1 liter of warm water in a separate container, and 3-3.5 liters of clove water and 3 to 3.5 kg of powdered sugar are whipped with a mixer in another container for 15-20 minutes until it becomes creamy. The cream is mixed into the cooled delight in the copper boiler. After thorough mixing, saffron water and at least 20 kg of Antep Pistachios are added, and the mixture is stirred for 5-10 minutes. Before pouring the mixture into the molds, oily baking paper used for cooking is placed inside the molds. The mixture is poured into smooth-surfaced wooden molds. The saffron delight poured into the molds is left to rest for at least 16 hours.

The delight is poured into wooden molds in portions of 5.35 kg. Before pouring the delight into the molds, oily baking paper used for cooking is placed inside the molds. Additionally, the surface of the wooden mold used must be smooth. The saffron delight poured into the molds is left to rest for at least 16 hours. The rested delight in the molds is placed on a marble counter, and when placing it, the oiled paper surface of the mold is placed facing down. The surface without oily paper is moistened with a wet sponge, and 280 g to 300 g of desiccated coconut is sprinkled, then flipped over. The same process is repeated, this time moistening the surface of the mold with oily paper, and after moistening, the oily paper is peeled off. After peeling, the remaining surface is covered with desiccated coconut, then cut using a cutting machine, packaged, and stored in a cool, dry, and hygienic environment. One piece of Saffron Safranbolu Delight is cube-shaped with a thickness of 1.9 to 2.1 cm.