Hafiz Mustafa has been making sweets in Istanbul since 1864, when Hadji Ismail Hakki Bey began producing rock candy in the basement of his shop in Bahcekapi, during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz. The confectioner's own history page notes 11 European medals for confectionery and bakery between 1926 and 1938 — this is the house behind the tin. Inside the red metal box, etched HM 1864 on its clear lid, is the brand's mixed dragee assortment: whole almonds, hazelnuts, and dried fruit such as apricot and raisin, each coated in dark or white chocolate. Some pieces are dusted with cocoa powder like a truffle; others carry a glossy sugar glaze. Because the centers differ — a crunchy nut here, a chewy dried apricot there — no two handfuls taste the same, which is what makes a mixed dragee tin work on a coffee table where everyone picks differently. The tin itself is part of what you keep. It is a reusable metal box with a transparent lid, the kind Istanbul shops stack in their windows, and it protects the dragees far better than a cardboard sleeve — keeping them intact rather than crushed. Choose the small 170 g tin to try the assortment or tuck into a gift basket, or the large 350 g tin when it needs to sit out for guests through an evening. Serve them alongside Turkish coffee or black tea, the way they are offered in Istanbul. Contains tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts) and milk from the chocolate; Hafiz Mustafa dragee labels also note possible traces of other nuts and gluten. Store in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
