Lukum-rakhat, or a rahat lakoum, is one of types of the Arab sweets. Arabs thought up a set of types of sweet products which received the general name — lukum. But in our country any of these types of sweets call a rahat lakoum that is not absolutely true.
The rahat lakoum is one of types of the delicacy made on the basis of flour, and here, for example, shaker-lukum is practically the same, only without flour addition. Further in article we will in detail understand structure of this Arab sweet, its useful properties and contraindications.
History
Sometimes stories of some products have the confused roots or several versions, and sometimes it is very difficult to track reliable origin of a required object. However history of a rahat lakoum is very clear and reliable.
For the first time the personal cook of the Turkish sultan Ali Haji Bekir at the end of XYIII of a century created this sweet. But it is authentically unknown what pushed the court cook to invent this delicacy. There are several versions:
- To rahat lakoum birth the sultan Bekir was content with usual fruit lollipops. But once he broke tooth and strongly became angry. Then the court cook in only several hours thought up absolutely new recipe of soft and gentle sweet.
Whether you know? At the beginning of the 19th century in Turkey the rahat lakoum was stored in the special caskets intended for jewelry. And gave it only to a royal table.
- The sultan strongly loved the companies of various women. But he was not always content only with carnal joys, he liked to treat ladies with various sweets. For this reason ordered to the cook to invent all new desserts.
As a result of work of the court master of sweets the masterpiece which it gives pleasure to people not one hundred years worldwide was invented.
The historical information says that the family of the sultan Bekir possessed the known bench of sweets in Istanbul. At the beginning of the 19th century the rahat lakoum got on the territory of Belgium where there took place the fair of sweets. There the Turkish dessert won a gold medal and was recognized as sweet teeth across the whole Europe.
Shortly in Europe the rahat lakoum began to be called the Turkish pleasure, and its popularity grew further. British most of all fell in love with the Turkish dessert which was regularly used during the daily tea drinking. Today there is a set of raznoobraziya and forms of a rahat lakoum: honey, fruit, nut, children's, cubic, etc.
Structure
The following ingredients are a part of an original Turkish dessert: granulated sugar, nuts, treacle, starch, fruit, water.
Learn what such nuts as are useful: pecan, Brazilian, black, muscat, almond, walnut and nuts macadamia.
As the rahat lakoum happens different types to different aromas, auxiliary ingredients can be the following types:
- filbert, peanut, pistachios;
- fig and honey;
- dried fruits, dried peel of orange and lemon;
- pieces of pineapple, banana, peach, mango, strawberry, coconut flakes;
- petals of gentle and pleasant flower plants;
- vanilla, grated chocolate, candied fruits;
- dried apricots, raisin, prunes.
Actually, the court cook of the sultan prepared a rahat lakoum, having used only starch, fruit, treacle, honey, nuts and water. All modern variations of the Turkish dessert are the birth of imagination of cooks of the 20th and 21st century.
We advise you to esteem about properties and application: akatsiyevy, meadow, flower, buckwheat, dyagilevy, sunflower, white and chestnut honey.
Caloric content and nutrition value
It should be noted that the caloric content of a rahat lakoum can vary depending on structure of a product. It is known that the original Turkish dessert has caloric content in 316 kcal on 100 g of a product. Again, this indicator can change in the lower or greater side.
For example, 100 g of the Turkish pleasure with addition of honey and nuts comprise 340 kcal. Nutritionists and confectioners invented a special form of the lukum-rakhat in which the content of sugar (due to addition of sweet fruit), honey and nuts is minimized. Today on counters of confectionery shops it is possible to get a rahat lakoum with a caloric content of 280 kcal on 100 g of a product. But you remember that if you live the idea beauty and a sound body, then it is undesirable to use more than 100 grams of such delicacy during the day.
The thing is that sugar are capable to brake fat exchange and even if you will not recover from a small piece of delicacy, then it is all the same possible to forget about weight loss for some time.
Useful properties
The court cook of the sultan who invented a rahat lakoum prepared this east sweet on the basis of pink petals which gave to a dessert not only high tastes, but also mass of useful properties. In addition, lukum-rakhat contained in the structure honey and walnuts, sometimes — dried apricots and raisin. All these ingredients bring huge advantage for health to combinations. Sultan Bekir not only regaled on a wonderful dessert, but also received from it the mass of vitamins and minerals. Today on counters of shops it is possible to see many variations of the Turkish pleasure, but authentically it is not known of its structure.
Read what vitamins are necessary for health of the man and the woman.
Often producers add various dyes and fragrances which will not bring absolutely any benefit to health. But if you prepare a rahat lakoum independently according to the recipe which that court cook used, then the sweet will have such useful properties:
- Promotes increase in synthesis of hormone of endorphin which regulates mood of the person. The more in an organism of endorphins, the person is happier.
- Prevents manifestation of depressions, stresses, neurosises and insomnias.
- Nuts positively influence a cardiovascular system (CCC), strengthen immunity, improve a condition of skin, nails and hair.
Whether you know? In some east recipes of a rahat lakoum one of ingredients is the bergamot. The dessert with a bergamot is made for those people who are constantly busy with mental work.
- The liquorice which is as a part of the prepared rahat lakoum has anti-infectious and antiseptic properties.
- If honey is added to east sweet, then it does it even more useful. For human health much know of advantage of honey: strengthens CCC, protects nervous system from stresses and depressions, strengthens immunity, adjusts digestion processes, improves brain blood circulation.
- Berries, fruit and citrus are rich with various vitamins and minerals. Orange and raspberry are rich with vitamin C which is necessary in normal quantities for each person caring for the health.
- If to add in lukum-rakhat dried apricots and raisin, then such sweet will find the following useful properties: will lower pressure (it is useful for hypertensive persons), will improve work of a GIT and endocrine gland, will favorably affect organs of vision and the haematogenic system.
As you can see, the true Arab sweet is capable to bring to the person not only pleasant aftertaste. The main thing is to remember that the advantage for health of the use of such product will be only in case to prepare it with use vitamin-rich and minerals of ingredients.
Important! 100 g of a rahat lakoum cover 20% of day norm of food.
Harm and contraindications
The rahat lakoum, as well as any other sweet, contains the increased amount of glucose in the structure. The regular use of the products rich with sugar results in increased fatigue and oppression of work of a brain.
Glucose stimulates active work of a pancreas which produces insulin in the increased quantities. After all, constant increased loads glucose can lead to diabetes. The main harm of this product it is considered to be high caloric content. What for thin people is norm in food, is very harmful to those who are inclined to completeness. And because of obesity problems with a cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal device can begin.
Learn about advantage and harm of such sweet as gozinaki.
Besides, the regular use of sweets leads to increased loads on a liver and kidneys, the condition of tooth enamel gradually worsens, the level of arterial blood pressure grows. The last negative effect can lead to a hypertension. The main contraindications to the use of a rahat lakoum are:
- obesity;
- diabetes;
- hypertension;
- violation of work and GIT functions;
- individual intolerance organism;
- allergic reactions to honey or fruit;
- inactive way of life.
How to choose
Experts in sweets, confectioners and cooks always have several secrets which will help any person to choose a qualitative rahat lakoum:
- Do not buy products in the packed cardboard or cellophane boxes. It is the best of all to visit specialized points with oriental sweets where lukum-rakhat it will be stored in the special fridge without packings. So you will be able to try products and to estimate it, and only then to consider expediency of acquisition of a dessert.
- Do not buy a rahat lakoum on the street. In such places the dessert is weather-beaten, drops dust and very often loses the truly wonderful tastes.
- Upon purchase pay attention to a form of pieces: they have to be correct square or a rectangular shape and to shine in a section. If sides at sweet are involved inside, then it speaks about the wrong storage of the lukum-rakhat. Besides, the natural product will never stick to a cellophane package and if a little bit to squeeze sweet, then it will surely return to a former form. Remember the law of deformation, here it works too!
It is important! If you buy east sweet in boxes, then attentively study structure of products. If you found in structure nutritional supplement under the marking Е, then it is better not to buy such product.
- It is necessary to understand that in the present the Turkish pleasure there should not be dyes, sweeteners, fragrances and other nutritional supplements. Ask the seller about structure of east dessert. It is the best of all if the rahat lakoum is prepared according to the classical recipe with addition of habitual natural ingredients.
Also you remember that it is necessary to pay the considerable sum for good, tasty and natural east dessert. It is the best of all not to buy such products in supermarkets on the stock where the prices it is ordinary low and more are suitable for domestic sosatelny candies.
Storage
It is necessary to store a rahat lakoum in the place where the contact with air is minimized. It is the best of all to wrap up the cut dessert in parchment, but in any way not in a foil or a cellophane package (in such conditions the sweet will become damp). Optimum temperature of storage it is considered to be +5 … +10 °C, the best place — the fridge. By the way, if you have no parchment, then it is possible to wrap up lukum-rakhat in usual paper (but only clean, without the press). The recommended period of storage — 1.5-2 months.
Whether you know? During the invention of a rahat lakoum in Turkey there was no icing sugar yet. Confectioners prepared this east sweet only on the basis of fruit and honey which were the main sources of glucose and fructose.
Finally it would be desirable to note that it is necessary to use this sweet intelligently. It is not necessary to abuse a rahat lakoum as it can lead to problems with a pancreas. And here it is very possible to eat a small piece in the early output morning together with a tea cup.