Two families of sweets
Turkish desserts fall into two broad groups. The first is syrup-soaked pastries and cakes: crisp layers of pastry or soft semolina cake drenched in a light sugar syrup. The second is milk puddings, smooth and gently sweet, a tradition that goes back to the Ottoman palace kitchens. Pakistanis will recognise both: the first is close to the world of gulab jamun and jalebi, the second to kheer and firni.
The dishes
Baklava is many thin layers of buttered pastry with pistachios or walnuts, baked and soaked in syrup. Künefe is shredded pastry around melting cheese, baked in ghee and served hot with syrup. Revani is a soft semolina cake soaked in lemon syrup, the easiest of the syrup desserts. Sütlaç is Turkish rice pudding, baked until it browns on top and served cold.
The cold-syrup rule
For syrup desserts, one rule matters most: pour cold syrup over hot pastry, or hot syrup over cold pastry, never hot on hot. That’s what keeps baklava crisp and revani moist rather than soggy. Turkish is usually thinner than ours and has a little lemon juice to stop it crystallising.
Pakistani substitutes
- Filo pastry: sold frozen in larger supermarkets; samosa patti works for small, rustic pieces.
- Kadayıf: look in imported-food shops; our künefe recipe gives alternatives.
- Melting cheese for künefe: unsalted mozzarella, or mozzarella mixed with fresh paneer.
- Nuts: buy pistachios and walnuts from a dry-fruit shop, and keep them in the fridge.
How to serve
Serve small portions with Turkish coffee or Turkish tea; the strong drink balances the sweetness. Milk puddings and revani can be made a day ahead, which makes them ideal for guests. Our Turkish desserts guide explains the wider world of Turkish sweets.
More to try
Kazandibi is a milk pudding with a caramelised base; tavuk göğsü is the famous Ottoman pudding made with chicken; şekerpare are semolina cookies in syrup; and aşure is the wheat and fruit pudding shared in Muharram.
Also try the syrup sweets lokma and tulumba; fruit desserts kabak tatlısı (pumpkin) and ayva tatlısı (quince); the halvas irmik helvası and un helvası; the puddings muhallebi, keşkül and supangle; and the Balkan three-milk cake trileçe.