HAPPINESS ENCAPSULATED

COOKIES ARE THE DELICIOUS COMPANIONS OF A CUP OF COFFEE OR TEA. THE JOY OF WAKING UP IN A HOME THAT SMELLS OF FRESHLY BAKED COOKIES IS PRICELESS. COOKIES INSPIRE EXPERIMENTATION WITH INGREDIENTS AND NEVER SHY AWAY FROM CHANGE.

Not many foods can take one down memory lane spontaneously like cookies. My most unforgettable memories from childhood are related to the excitement I felt when I was greeted by their aroma when I came home from school and eagerly ran up the stairs. I still remember like it was yesterday the delight I felt, which increased with every step and reached its peak when I opened the door, with the strengthening aroma of orange, sugar, and the dough that had a mother’s touch.

The things that make my day happy have never changed, even if years have passed and the world around me constatly changes. Even today I will follow the aroma orange cookies leave in the air wherever it may be. If I slow down when walking towards the ferry in the morning it is because of the

sakız (mastic gum) cookies being baked in the bakery around the corner. Even the seagulls at the dock can smell them.

The history of these addictive delicacies dates way back in time. It is thought that the first cookies were pieces of dough set aside to test the heat of the oven. Over time these small pieces of cake were enriched with different ingredients and thus began the delicious journey of cookies.

In the Roman Empire, known for its grand ceremonies and delicious recipes, cookies were made from different grain flours. In Rome, where the culture of pastry and bread was common and hence being a baker was considered a respectable profession, a variety of cookies were made. The Roman cuisine, which added honey to many dishes and drinks, took the same approach towards cookies.

In Medieval Europe, pastry cooked with almond milk and eggs was common. People would fill such dough with different confections and serve them with drinks seasoned with exotic spices. In Germany, Italy, and France, almond cookies took the lead amongst the most well-liked delicacies. The macaron is, most likely, one of the delicacies from Arab or Persian cuisines that reached Europe via the Turks. During the same period in the Islamic world, cookies and small, filled buns were famous. These cookies would be offered to families and relatives on special days and especially on religious holidays. Cookies could be made plain or seasoned with rose water, spices, or with fillings.

The Ottomans’ cultural diversity was reflected within their cuisine known through cookbooks written by doctors rather than cooks. They also had a productive approach towards cookies. In his work on healthy recipes, Muhammed bin Mahmud Shirvani, a 15th-century doctor, includes shortbread cookies (un kurabiyesi). For the cookies to be of healing quality, Shirvani suggests adding nutmeg to the recipe. The diversity of the palace cuisine inevitably enlivened cookie recipes. While almonds, spices with strong aromatic qualities, and rose water add flavor, nutmeg is used as a luxury and exotic ingredient.

With the increase in the means of travel, cookies found a place in travelers’ luggage. The fact that they keep well and are

easier to carry than other baked products, such as cakes and pastries, made them a travelers’ favorite.

When we reach the 19th century, cookies appear before us as a food that went beyond being a product of private kitchens and bakeries. Daily life welcomed cookies with wholeheartedness. Classic recipes took different forms in kitchens of middle class families. Amidst the inevitable passion for the culinary arts, every country developed different cookie recipes in accordance with its cultural geography and available ingredients.

Apart from the recipes passed down from grandmothers, most countries and cities have their own local variation of this sweet.

The French macaron of Italian origin, resembling something out of a Fauvist painting, is just one of these. There are many stories regarding macarons, crispy but thin on the outside with a filling that melts in the mouth. One variation of the story sets forth that Catherine de’ Medici brought the macaron to the French palace when she married King Henry II. As the popularity of the macarons, initially made by the combination of egg whites, almonds and sugar, increased, butter, ganache, and marmalades were added to the recipe. Today the macaron, with its smooth surface and delicious filling, is not only a flavor popular at celebrations, but also an accompanist to flowers bought for loved ones.

The “5 o’clock tea” ritual, was made famous by the Anglo-saxon culture and is important for establishing the relationship between tea and cookies.

The home of the chocolate chip cookie, which comes to mind all around the world when cookies are mentioned, is the United States of America. While making her usual recipe for butter cookies, Ruth Wakefield, dietician and cook, realized that she had no cocoa. She did have a bar of a well-known brand of chocolate, though. Without hesitating she chopped up the chocolate bar into small pieces and put the tray in the oven. Although she was slightly disappointed that the chocolate had not completely melted, she realized that the cookies are more delicious with the softened chocolate. Since that day the cookies, known as Toll House cookies, are recognized by many as the most delicious cookies in the world.

Cookies allow for different ingredients and techniques and can be called the most experimental form of pastry. They are tasty whatever the recipe. If I am in Beşiktaş, I cannot resist going to the historic Hasanpaşa Bakery. Served in a small brown bag, filled with marmalade, with chocolate stripes on top, the cookies that are crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside, and the plaited savory cookies make my day. These conjure up old memories: those of my grandmother and my childhood. A lot of memories can fit into a brown paper bag with cookies!