Turkish cuisine is rich in many ways and saying that any of the desserts mentioned below are exclusively for Ramadan Bayram, also known as Eid al-Fitr, would be wrong. However, as some of these require quite a bit of elbow grease and time – and sometimes dexterity – it makes sense that we see them made more often for special occasions and holidays.
The coronavirus pandemic has not only taken away from us our busy and crowded iftar get-togethers but also visits to our loved ones and relatives that would serve up a variety of these yummy desserts.
There are, of course, many more sweet dishes that could be considered a Ramadan Bayram dessert, but here we have the top selection of them.
Let’s start with a Turkish classic, for any occasion.
Baklava
Hold on, you might say, but I can have baklava any time of the year! Yes, that is indeed true but have you ever eaten homemade baklava? When done right it is much lighter, crunchier and richer in taste than the ones you can buy at any Turkish bakery. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes you need certain skills, and one of those is to roll out the dough for this multilayer treat as thinly as possible. I remember the days fondly just before Ramadan Bayram when we’d sit with my aunt at the kitchen table, first rolling out the dough a bit and then handing it over to her. With a flick of the hand, she’d expand it to dimensions I had not dared to try myself. I’m not discouraging you from giving it a shot – it will definitely be worth it, no matter how thick the layers may turn out – but keep in mind they might not be picture perfect on your first try.
I'd like to insert a small "but" here. There are ready-made baklava phyllo pastries you can buy at stores in Turkey. They are nothing like the homemade ones but are a quick and easy way to give making your own baklava a shot!
Kadayıf
The closest contender to baklava is this crunchy but syrupy dessert here. It is made from very a thin noodle-like pastry called "tel kadayıf" in Turkish or "kunafa" in the Arabic speaking world. While "künefe" in Turkish is a different dessert in itself, the kadayıf I mention here is quite simple if you get your hands on any "tel kadayıf" from your local "yufkacı" or Turkish specialty store.
Ingredients