Food - Drink
Tulumba Tatlısı: Turkey's Beloved Sweet And Crispy Dessert
By CLARICE KNELLY
Tulumba Tatlısı
Your knowledge of Turkish desserts may only extend as far as baklava, but the country is home to many mouth-watering delicacies, like tulumba tatlısı, a must-try dessert. Visually similar to a short churro, tulumba tatlısı is a fried dough treat with a crispy outside and soft inside, that is garnished with lemon syrup and pistachios.
History
Like most foods that stem from ancient roots, the dish's exact origins are not exactly known, but it likely dates back to the Ottoman empire. After being expelled from Spain, Sephardic Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, and it is thought they introduced Spanish churros to the Ottomans, thus creating the tulumba tatlısı.
Ingredients
The simplicity and affordability of tulumba tatlısı are perhaps why the dish has remained so popular for so long. The ingredients in the dough are just water, flour, a few eggs, sugar, butter, semolina, and cornstarch, along with oil for frying, crushed pistachios for a garnish, and water, sugar, and lemon juice for your syrup.
Making Tulumba Tatlısı
To make the dough, first combine your sugar, butter, and water together before stirring in the flour, and once a dough begins to form, begin mixing in your eggs one at a time. Finish your dough with semolina and cornstarch, then pack it into a pastry bag, pipe out 2-inch-long portions into your boiling oil, and remove once crispy.
Eating Tulumba Tatlısı
Once your dough is fried until golden brown, let it cool and top it with your lemon syrup and crushed pistachios, and perhaps serve alongside traditional Turkish tea before digging in. If you’re in Turkey, you might want to seek out the treat from a local street vendor to get the full experience of this delicious street food.