Halka Tatlisi: "Bordell-Dessert": The Turkish dessert from the red-light district of Istanbul

We walk across the busy Galata Bridge.

Halka Tatlisi: "Bordell-Dessert": The Turkish dessert from the red-light district of Istanbul

We walk across the busy Galata Bridge. Ahead of us is a lone street vendor who has loaded a well-known confection onto his stall: halka tatlisi, a ring of dough that is fried and then bathed in syrup. You can feel the sugar immediately - the donut tastes sweet. It's also the sugar that gives the candy its nickname: "brothel dessert." But I only found out about that a few weeks after the holiday, when I accidentally discovered a BBC report that tells the story of the dessert.

Traditionally, the sweets are said to have been particularly widespread in the Karaköy district. The waterfront is located on the European side of Istanbul, at the northern end of the Golden Horn - the main entrance to the Bosphorus. From the 13th century, immigrants from numerous nations settled there. In 1884 the first brothels were allowed to open. More and more establishments followed. The multicultural and increasingly industrialized district became the red light district.

"At that time, Anatolian traders from rural areas and smaller towns came to Karakoy on business and often visited the brothels," Istanbul tour guide Leyla Capaci told the BBC. "The ring dessert is cheap, tasty, high in sugar and became popular here because it was said to give men the energy they needed before - and after - visiting the women." Halka Tatlisi is considered one of the oldest and most popular Turkish street foods. The fried, star-shaped donut is reminiscent of Spanish churros.

"The difference is that our version -- often called 'Turkish churros' -- has a round shape and is derived from Tulumba Tatlisi," says Leyla Capaci. Tulumba tatlisi, which look like short, thick churros, are mainly served at celebrations. And in Ramadan, as a sugar kick after hours of fasting. Whether Turkish or Spanish: the three desserts are characterized by similar ingredients and preparation. A starch-based dough in which flour and semolina are mixed is typical.

The mass is then poured into hot oil using a pointed nozzle. Despite being a simple recipe, the treats are a challenge to make, Turkish celebrity chef and restaurateur Somer Sivrioğlu told the BBC: "The temperature of the oil has to be just right so they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside." All three dessert variants come from medieval Arabic cuisine and are made from a dessert called zalabiya mushabbak, a type of pancake.

Food historian Nawal Nasrallah tells the BBC that many dishes came to Istanbul when Arab chefs were hired by the Ottoman sultans to work in their elite kitchens. When the Ottomans conquered Spain in 756, their cuisine spread to the Iberian Peninsula. "Fried donuts of Muslim Spain have been influenced by Middle Eastern cuisine," says the expert.

Even then, people said that dessert had a lust-enhancing effect. "People in the Middle Ages followed the principles of Galen's theory of the four humors," explains the food historian. The physicians of the Middle Ages assumed that human health depended on the balance between the four humors in the body. These included blood, phlegm (phlegm), yellow bile (cholera) and black bile (melancholia).

Food and drink played an important role in medicine. One or a mixture of the four properties heat, cold, moisture and dryness were attributed to every food. This had a certain effect. "Sweets were generally believed to be an aphrodisiac - they increased libido due to their hot and wet properties," explains Nawal Nasrallah.

According to Turkish star chef Sivrioğlu, Halka Tatlisi is still "known as a natural Viagra". But the dessert no longer has anything to do with red light. The brothels in Karakoy have long since closed. The last, recently closed establishment on Zurafa Street is currently becoming an arts and culture center. Halka Tatlisi can be found on almost every corner in Istanbul. The candy is still said to give strength - but today it's more for long walks through the metropolis of millions.

By the way, variants of the dessert can also be found in Armenian, Cypriot, Serbian, Greek, Macedonian, Bosnian, Bulgarian and Albanian cuisine. Fried, sugary desserts are popular everywhere.

Sources:BBC, "Der Standard", "Eat Smarter", Edeka, "Planet Knowledge"

NEXT NEWS