Edmund was already feeling uncomfortable from having eaten too many sweets, and when he heard that the Lady he had made friends with was a dangerous witch he felt even more uncomfortable. But he still wanted to taste that Turkish Delight more than he wanted anything else.
--The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis (see note 1)
Oh, Edmund. Your desire for Turkish Delights almost destroyed you, your friends, the entire world of Narnia! What were you thinking?! Right; those were enchanted candies, and anyone who ate one "would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed, to go on eating it till they killed themselves."
I perused the candy aisle in the campus Co-op today and was instantly drawn to a small, pink, foil-wrapped square of something that must be as delicious as it was tempting. 79p later, I was the excited owner of one Fry's Turkish Delight (see note 2).
This candy was not enchanted.
To tell you the truth, I didn't know what a Turkish Delight was until I bit into the bar. I quickly realized that Fry's Turkish Delight is very similar to a chocolate-covered slab of bland jelly that has sat too long in an opened jar, similar to pudding- or jello-skin. It was not what I was expecting, and I certainly won't be begging a White Witch for more. Invented in the 1700s by a confectioner in Istanbul, Turkish Delights (or lokum) are traditionally squares of gelatin, usually rosewater or lemon flavored, decorated with walnuts, pistachios, or dried dates, and dusted with powdered sugar. J.S. Fry & Sons (presently a part of Cadbury) decided it was a good idea to coat thin rectangular pieces of the rose-flavored gelatin with chocolate. Apparently, they are immensely popular in Australia and New Zealand, as they are privy to a whole range of "Turkish" products, including Turkish Easter Eggs. Of course, we have to remember that people from down under also appreciate Vegemite.
*Note 1: I confess I have never read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe nor any other Narnia book. But I watched the first three movies, and my already-little-desire to start reading the series pretty much fizzled out after that.
*Note 2: Here is a commercial for Fry's Turkish Delights from 1984. It really makes you appreciate how much Imperialism has influenced England, even into the 80s. It also makes you NOT want to eat a Turkish Delight.
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