Oriental sweets are the common name for confectionery products of Turkish, Central Asian and Transcaucasian cuisine adopted in Russia. These treats can be made at home or industrially. Oriental sweets are high in calories, since they include a variety of fats, large amounts of sugar, boiled berry syrups, nuts and dried fruits.
Eastern sweets: what they are
Eastern sweets can be divided into three categories. The first includes flour products that are made in bakeries - shaker-churek, shaker-bura, nazuk, kurabie, baklava. These products are baked from different types of dough with the addition of butter, sugar, spices and nuts. The second, rather numerous category, unites delicacies prepared in home kitchens. These are Kozinaki, Churkhchela, Sherbet, Bekmes, Spot, 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, rose water. This group also includes dried fruits - dates, apricots, plums, melons.
Different sweets can be hidden under the same name. For example, Tajik sorbets are thick and sweet, while Azerbaijani sorbets are lighter and more refreshing.
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 laborious and time-consuming. Some confectioners believe that only these delicacies can be called real oriental sweets. These include all types of halva - tahini, sesame, sunflower, nut, alvitsa, kos-halva. A very popular sweet is nougat, made from thick syrup and egg white or gums. The group also includes such an unusual delicacy for Europeans as sugar products - sugar noodles, crystal novot, "caramel hair" flavored with spices and rose water.
Eastern sweets are served with black or green tea, as well as strong coffee.
Where to look for oriental sweets
Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan can be considered the birthplace of oriental sweets. In a lesser variety, they are found in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia. Some types of delicacies 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.
On the territory of the neighboring countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan are traditionally considered the centers of production of oriental sweets. The cuisines of these peoples are strongly influenced by Turkish and Iranian traditions. Many types of halva, sherbet, nougat and other complex delicacies are prepared here. Interesting versions of oriental sweets are produced in Moldova. Some types of nougat are produced here, as well as alvitsa - a dessert made of caramelized sugar with nuts, reminiscent of halva.
Today baklava, Turkish delight and other delicacies are also prepared in Russia. Simplified options are made by some confectionery factories, more labor-intensive and authentic ones are produced in restaurants and coffee houses of national cuisine.
