Soft, jewel-coloured cubes of cornstarch-and-sugar gel flavoured with rosewater, lemon, or mint — one of the world's oldest confections; made in Istanbul for 500+ years and immortalised in C.S. Lewis's *The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe*.
Lokum
The Turkish name is lokum — from Arabic rahat al-hulkum (“comfort of the throat”). The confection’s history in Istanbul traces to the late 18th century when confectioner Hacı Bekir Effendi established his shop in Istanbul around 1777, producing the soft starch-gel confection that became famous. His descendants still operate shops in Istanbul.
The starch gel technique
Lokum is made by cooking sugar syrup and starch (traditionally wild resin starch from the orchid-root plant salep; now almost always cornstarch) at high temperature until the mixture thickens into a thick, pourable gel. The gel is poured into oiled trays, allowed to set overnight, then cut into cubes and rolled in powdered sugar and cornstarch to prevent sticking.
Flavours
Classic flavours: rosewater (gül lokumu) — the most traditional, pink-coloured; lemon; mint; mastic (sakız) — the resin of the mastic tree, a uniquely Eastern Mediterranean flavour. Premium lokum contains whole pistachios or walnuts pressed into each piece. Double-roasted (darker, slightly firmer) versions are considered superior in Turkey.
The Narnia connection
Edmund’s obsession with Turkish Delight in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) introduced the confection to generations of English-speaking readers. C.S. Lewis’s enchanted lokum was specifically “the sort that was sweetest and most delicious” — a perfect description of good lokum eaten in Istanbul.