Hazelnut Turkish delight is the nut-lover's version of lokum: soft, yielding squares of the classic Turkish confection, each one studded generously with whole roasted hazelnuts. You bite through the tender, slightly chewy gel and hit the deep, buttery crunch of the nut inside. It is one of the oldest treats in the Turkish kitchen and still one of the most loved. Lokum itself is a simple thing done well. At its heart it is a gel of sugar and starch, set firm, then cut into cubes and lightly dusted so the pieces do not cling. The premium versions are not really about flavor syrups at all. They are about what is folded into the gel, and here that is hazelnuts, layered in so densely that nearly every piece carries a whole nut. The result is sweet but grounded, with the toasted, almost creamy richness that good hazelnuts bring. There is a reason hazelnut lokum tastes the way it does. Turkey grows the majority of the world's hazelnuts, most of them along the Black Sea coast around Giresun, Ordu and Trabzon, a region famous for nuts with a high oil content and a smooth, buttery flavor. Pairing those nuts with classic lokum is a natural match that Turkish confectioners have made for generations. The sweet carries a long history. Lokum has been made since Ottoman times, and one Istanbul confectioner is traditionally said to have opened his shop in 1777, though food historians note that similar starch-and-sugar sweets are older still and trace back through Persia. In Arabic it is known by the beautiful name rahat al-hulqum, "comfort of the throat," and across the Gulf it is simply called halqum. How to enjoy it: serve a few pieces alongside Turkish coffee or black tea, the bitterness balancing the sweetness perfectly. It works as an after-dinner bite, a gift box, or a treat to set out for guests. Keep it cool and sealed so it stays soft. Good to know: this is a sugar-and-starch confection studded with hazelnuts, so flavor and texture are the point, not nutrition. Lokum is traditionally made with cornstarch rather than wheat flour. It contains hazelnuts (tree nuts); if you are sensitive to other allergens or need a certified gluten-free product, check the specific pack details before buying. Available in 250g, 500g, 1kg and 3kg sizes.
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