A Ramadan classic! What is Güllaç and how is it made? A delicious Güllaç recipe!

Güllaç, one of the indispensable desserts of the month of Ramadan, is included in the traditional Turkish cuisine from the establishment and rise of the Ottoman Empire.

You can consume this delicious palace dessert, the recipe of which belongs to Nadir Güllü, in cold portions after iftar.

Güllaç Recipe ( 6 Persons)

Materials;

8-10 gullac leaves,

2 liters of milk,

granulated sugar (approximately 500 g)

2-3 tablespoons of rose water

250 gr. net nuts

100 gr. Powdered sugar

100 gr. coconut

100 gr. Pistachio Kernel (Cracked)

Güllaç making

Boil the milk in a deep saucepan and remove from the heat. Add sugar and rose water and mix the milk well until the sugar dissolves.

As soon as the milk burns your hand ( if it is too hot, the dough will be dough, if it is cold, the dough will not be soft enough ) put the gullaç leaves in a large tray.

Soak the leaves in a container of milk for a few minutes. Take the soaked Güllaç leaves with milk and start laying them on another tray.

As Güllaç leaves absorb milk very quickly, add half a scoop of milk as soon as you put each leaf on the tray.

After laying 4-5 sheets of phyllo dough, a mixture of hazelnut, coconut and powdered sugar ( or a mixture of walnuts, if you prefer) is sprinkled abundantly on top of the phyllo.

Lay the remaining 4-5 leaves of Güllaç on the mixture in the same way. Make sure the leaves are full of milk.

Add the leftover milk to the leaves and wait until the leaves absorb the milk well.

When the milk is withdrawn, you can start decorating with coconut, pistachios, hazelnuts and ground strawberries.

If you wish, you can also use fruit slices or pomegranate seeds.

Things to Know About Güllaç

What is Güllaç?

Güllaç, which is produced specially for the month of Ramadan, is a light dessert and easy to digest because it is mostly milk. Since it does not contain any additives, it can be consumed by everyone, including young children. Since it is an easily digested product, it is a suitable dessert especially for those who are on a diet.

How is Güllaç consumed?

It should be consumed cold daily. If it is not consumed immediately, it can be stored in the refrigerator (+4) for a day. However, if walnut is used, it is recommended to be consumed daily. Instead of rose water, vanilla can be added to milk to add a different flavor to your recipe.

How to understand the freshness of Güllac?

Whether the gullac is stale or not can be understood from its smell and color. If a sour and bitter milk smell is detected and a yellowish color and dryness has started, it means that the rose is stale.

It is necessary to pay attention to the brightness of the color of the rose, the abundance of milk, the freshness and quality of the raw materials used in its decoration.

In order to make a good gullac;

First of all, the milk and other materials to be used must be fresh and of high quality. In addition, the leaves of Güllaç must be opened very thinly. It is also very important that the edges and middle parts of the leaves are of equal thickness. Because the thick opened gullac leaves leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Since Güllaç leaves absorb milk very quickly, plenty of milk should be used. If Güllaç leaves come into contact with air after getting wet, they become jelly and lose their Güllaç feature and flavor. For this, plenty of milk should be poured on it and its contact with the air should be cut off.

Another issue to be considered is that the tray on which the phyllo dough will be laid is dry and clean. It is useful to say again, that the raw materials such as peanuts, hazelnuts, coconuts, sour cherries or strawberries used must be fresh. In our opinion, the decoration of such a natural dessert is to be as simple as possible in accordance with the nature of the rosemary. It would be appropriate to decorate it with walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, ground strawberries or cherry sugar at most. Güllaç should disperse in the mouth while eating. Depending on the season, walnut kernels and pomegranate seeds can be used for decoration.

Güllaç in Ottoman Cuisine

Güllaç history

This insatiable flavor was made with cream on the Ottoman sultan's tables, and it was called "rose soup" because it was filled with rose water. Also, according to another source, people living in the borders of the Empire until the middle of the 15th century rolled and stocked phyllo from corn starch, and this dries up because it was in contact with the air. He used to wet the phyllo with milk and sugar and eat it.Over time, with the addition of rose water, the dessert called " Güllü Aş" emerged and (just like the milky soup turned into rice pudding ) its name became "Güllaç ".

Güllaç, which is preferred especially in Ramadan, can be an ideal dessert option for the summer season if the ingredients are available.