Antep Pistachio Sarma Turkish Delight — Rolled Pistachio Lokum

Sarma is the rolled style of Turkish delight: a thin sheet of soft lokum wrapped around a nut filling, then coated on the outside and cut into rounds. Slice this one and you see the spiral — a white lokum layer wound around a dark center studded with whole Antep pistachio kernels, the whole log dusted in bright-green ground pistachio instead of the usual powdered sugar.

The pistachios are the point here. Antep pistachios take their name from Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey — the city's name literally became the Turkish word for pistachio — and the region grows roughly 40% of Turkey's crop. They are smaller than the Californian kind, deeper green, and more aromatic, which is why Turkish confectioners reach for them in baklava and lokum alike. In this sarma you get them three ways: ground into the outer coating, worked through the filling, and whole inside the spiral.

The texture contrast is what makes sarma different from cube lokum. The outer lokum layer is soft and chewy, the coating adds a dry nutty dust, and the whole kernels give an actual bite in the middle. It is noticeably less sweet-forward than sugar-dusted cubes because ground pistachio replaces the powdered-sugar finish.

How it is eaten in Turkey: cut into thin rounds and set out with unsweetened Turkish coffee or black tea, where the bitterness balances the lokum. The rounds also hold their spiral shape on a dessert plate, which is why sarma is the version people bring as a gift or put out for guests.

Three sizes: 250 g for trying it, 500 g for a household that knows it already, and a 1 kg log for gifting or gatherings. Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot away from sunlight — refrigeration draws out moisture and stiffens the texture.