Sweets | Page 9 of 11
I Segreti del Chiostro: A Convent Pastry Shop in Palermo
The only clue to the I Segreti del Chiostro pastry shop in Palermo is a sign outside the Santa Caterina convent. Inside, cannoli, cassata and the breasts of Saint Agatha are baked to the recipes of enclosed nuns - sweets that were sold for centuries through a revolving box in the wall. And the pastry comes with a cloister garden and a view from the convent roof.
Cartocci Siciliani: Fried Yeast Tubes Filled with Ricotta
Cartocci siciliani are fried tubes of yeast dough, rolled in sugar and filled with sweetened ricotta studded with chocolate chips. They are cannoli's Palermo cousins, bought in the morning at a bar or a bakery to go with coffee, and in Palermo they also go by the name Macallè - after an Ethiopian town, though nobody knows why. Today you'll find them all over Sicily.
artic bakehouse, Prague: Icelandic Sourdough at the Foot of Petřín
artic bakehouse was set up in Prague by two Icelanders - a pastry chef with a Cake of the Year title and his childhood friend. Since 2018 they've been baking sourdough loaves with names of their own, croissants and caramel rolls that get you up Petřín without a single stop. Only the name isn't spelled the way your head keeps insisting.
Chè Sài Gòn: Vietnamese Desserts in Prague's Sapa
The Chè Sài Gòn stall at the back of Prague's Sapa market specializes in chè - Vietnamese sweet cups and drinks made of beans, tapioca, jelly, fruit and coconut milk. The cups are numbered, the menu on the wall is in Czech and Vietnamese, and there are around ten kinds. The three of us tried three of them and picked the winner unanimously.
Garash: A Bulgarian Walnut and Chocolate Cake
Garash is a Bulgarian layer cake of thin sheets of ground walnuts, egg whites and sugar, layered with a filling of heavy cream and chocolate and covered with a glossy chocolate glaze. It was invented by Kosta Garash, a confectioner from Austria-Hungary, at his hotel in Ruse; today every patisserie in the country sells it, and in Varna you'll find it at Kramer patisserie too.
Soldiers' Cookies: Bulgarian Homemade Cookies from Army Care Packages
Soldiers' cookies are plain Bulgarian homemade cookies of eggs, sugar, soured milk and flour, firm and crunchy. They got their name not from the army but from the mothers who mailed them to their sons in the barracks, because they survived days in the mail. They're baked all over Bulgaria and sit next to the buttery kurabiiki in every bakery case.
Kurabiiki: Bulgarian Butter Cookies
Kurabiiki are small butter cookies sold by the piece in every bakery in Bulgaria. They're eaten with coffee. They belong to the qurabiya family of cookies found all over the former Ottoman world; the Bulgarian version is recognizable by its egg-yolk glaze and the coarse sugar that cracks as it bakes. They've been in Petko Slavejkov's cookbook since 1870.
Künefe: Sweet Cheese Dessert
Künefe is a traditional warm dessert made of thin shreds of kadayıf dough filled with a layer of melted unsalted cheese. After baking, the whole dish is richly drenched in sweet sugar syrup. It is decorated on the surface with bright green crushed pistachios or a dollop of thick cream. Künefe must be served immediately while the cheese inside is liquid.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu: My Favorite Pastry Shop in Istanbul
Karaköy Güllüoğlu is a historic Istanbul pastry shop run by the Güllü family, who have been baking baklava since 1843. This popular establishment specializes in traditional Turkish confectionery, offering an incredibly wide selection of different types of baklava. Customers choose their sweets here themselves directly from showcases and trays. In addition to desserts, you can also enjoy excellent Turkish tea here. Prices here are lower than in establishments in the historic center.
Baklava: Queen of Turkish Sweets
Baklava is a sweet dessert formed by alternating layers of thin filo dough, chopped nuts, and sweet syrup. The most common fillings are pistachios or walnuts. Many nations dispute its origin, but it was perfected by confectioners in the Ottoman Empire. There are countless types and shapes of baklava; cold milky baklava is also popular.