What is Pismaniye? The Turkish candy floss simply explained
What is Pismaniye?
Pişmaniye , also called Turkish candyfloss, is a traditional Turkish dessert made from white sugar, wheat flour, butter and vegetable margarine.
Although Pişmaniye is known and found throughout Turkey, the Turkish dessert is particularly rooted in the Kocaeli/Izmit region.
Name and history of Pismaniye
The actual origin of Pişmaniye is in the 15th century in Iran. Since Turkish candyfloss looks like sheep's wool, the Persians named the dessert "Peşmek", which means "wool" in Persian. It is believed that the Persian term "Peşmek" was adopted into Turkish as "Pişmaniye". At first, pismaniye spread in normal Turkish households until it made its way into the palace.
According to legend, the first person to produce pismaniye in Koaceli was a confectionery master named Hayrettiin Usta from the village of Kandıra. From Hayrettin Usta's apprenticeship came an apprentice named Ethem Efendi, who set up di first pismaniye confectionery production in Kapanönü/Izmit and began the industrial production of PIsmaniye.
The production of Pismaniye
Pismaniye is made from butter, vanilla (or cocoa), lemon salt, sugar, tahini, flour and water. To make pişmaniye, the sugar is cooked at 170 degrees until a waxy cream is achieved. This hot caramelised sugar solution is poured onto a cold surface and then cooled and hardened. As the sugar mixture cools, it is deposited in a metal tray, folded by hand or machine and re-stretched. This process, called drawing, is repeated many times to allow air to enter the sugar mixture. The result of this process is a softer and whiter sugar paste. In the following video you can follow the process:
