Eastern sweets - the common name for confectionery products of Turkish, Central Asian and Transcaucasian cuisine accepted in Russia. These treats can be made at home or in industrial settings. Oriental sweets are high in calories, as they contain a variety of fats, a large amount of sugar, boiled berry syrups, nuts and dried fruits.
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Eastern sweets: what they are
Oriental sweets can be divided into three categories. The first includes flour products that are made in bakeries - shaker-churek, shaker-borax, nazuk, kurabye, baklava. These products are baked from different types of dough with the addition of butter, sugar, spices and nuts. The second, quite numerous category, combines the delicacies prepared in home kitchens. These are kozinaki, churchkhela, sherbet, bekmes, sprat, nishallo, Turkish delight. The composition of such products includes boiled juices of berries and fruits, nuts, flavored sugar, tea, as well as ingredients unusual for Russian or European cuisine - for example, pink water. This group also includes dried fruits - dates, apricots, plums, melons.
Different sweets can be hidden under the same name. For example, Tajik sherbets are thick and sweet, and Azerbaijani ones are lighter and fresher.
The last category includes sweets that are made by specialists. To prepare them, you need special ingredients, conditions and equipment, and the process itself is time-consuming and time-consuming. Some confectioners believe that only these goodies can be called real oriental sweets. These include all types of halva - tahini, sesame, sunflower, nut, alvitsa, braid halva. A very popular sweet is nougat, prepared on the basis of thick syrup and egg white or gums. The group also includes such an unusual delicacy for Europeans as sugar products - sugar vermicelli, crystal novot, “caramel hair”, flavored with spices and rose water.
Oriental sweets are served with black or green tea, as well as strong coffee.
Where to look for oriental sweets
The homeland of oriental sweets can be considered Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. In a lesser variety, they are found in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia. Some types of goodies are traditionally made in Europe - in Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. Some of the products are exported, but a significant share is produced specifically for the domestic market.
In the neighboring countries, the centers of production of oriental sweets are traditionally considered Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The cuisines of these peoples were greatly influenced by Turkish and Iranian traditions. Many types of halva, sorbets, nougat and other complex delicacies are prepared here. Interesting variants of oriental sweets are produced in Moldova. It produces some types of nougat, as well as alvitsu - a dessert made from caramelized sugar with nuts, reminiscent of halva.
Today, baklava, Turkish delight and other goodies are also prepared in Russia. Simplified options are made by some confectionery factories, which are more laborious and authentic in restaurants and coffee houses of national cuisine.
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