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reached before turning back in front of the barred gates. It is here also that the palace of the governor was never completed because the money was needed to build two galleys to join the fleet of Don John of Austria at the Battle of Lepanto.” Both the Museo de la Santa Cruz in Toledo, Spain, and Venice’s Museo Storico Navale feature magnificent (and well-preserved) Lepanto banners, which would have flown from the sailing ships’ mastheads. Also, Venice’s Church of San Martino houses a wooden crucifix, known as the Lepanto Cross, as it was carried on a Venetian galley during the battle.

Two excellent accounts of Lepanto are found in volume I of Decisive Battles of the Western World and Their Influence Upon History, by J. F. C. Fuller (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1956), and in “Victory at Sea, 1571: Lepanto,” by Oliver Warner, in Horizon, July 1963.

Lokum

Lokum is the Turkish word for “Turkish delight.” You will see boxes and boxes of lokum everywhere in Istanbul, but the only brand you should buy is Hacı Bekir. Why? Because it is, simply, the best. And if you are wondering how there can possibly be much difference between brands of Turkish delight, you’re wise to wonder—but all I can say is that there is a difference. I was fortunate to meet the general manager of Hacı Bekir, one of the few employees of the company who isn’t a family member, and he told me, “If you try two or three different brands, side by side, you will be able to tell the difference immediately.” The company’s story begins in 1777, when Bekir Effendi moved from Kastamonu, a Black Sea coastal community, to Istanbul. He opened a small shop in the Old City, selling lokum and akide, another boiled sweet. Upon fulfilling his religious obligation to journey to Mecca, Bekir became known as Hacı Bekir, a title of respect granted to all those who have completed the hajj, or pilgrimage.

Confectionery in Istanbul dates back to the sixteenth century, when honey and molasses were used as sweeteners and water and flour were the binding agents. Sugar produced in refineries in Europe appeared in Turkey at the end of the eighteenth century, and was called kelle sekeri and was sold in cone-shaped blocks. Hacı Bekir preferred this sugar, and when a German scientist discovered starch in 1811, he began using kelle seken with starch. This new combination led to the production of the choicest lokum, but it alone is not the reason for its high quality. Hacı Bekir uses only top-quality fresh fruits and spices—the company even owns some of the fruit orchards, so it has complete control over when the fruit is harvested—and uses no additives. As a result, shelf life is very short, one week at most (though if you buy a box to take home it will last a little longer). The color of the lokum will change if sits for too long. Additionally, Hacı Bekir sticks to tradition: after the ingredients are boiled, lokum must rest for at least two days before being sold. Other companies sell lokum much earlier and also use vanilla to mask less-than-fresh fruit flavors. Hacı Bekir makes only three batches a week, and among its twenty-eight flavors are cream, hazelnut, pistachio, coffee, apple, orange, cherry, apricot, ginger, cinnamon, clove, and mastica. (Mastica is made from the Mediterranean plant of the same name, grown principally on the Greek island of Chios; one product made from mastica is a hard granule that turns into a gum when chewed—it reportedly was used as a breath freshener in the Topkapı harem. Interestingly, Chios was self-ruled during the Ottoman Empire, enjoying special privileges only because of its mastica. Mastihashop in New York [145 Orchard Street / 212 253 0895 / mastihashopny.com] is the official shop of the Chios Mastiha Growers Association and carries some nifty products such as lotions, soaps, confections, cookies, olive oil, and toothpaste, all made with mastica) The most popular flavors at Hacı Bekir are hazelnut and pistachio (my own favorites).

Hacı Bekir also made almond pastes, and when he was awarded the Nişan-ı Ali Osman—a first-degree medal of honor granted