{{Short description|Turkish toffee paste}} {{other uses}} thumb|upright=1.3|Macun in Turkey
'''Macun''' (in Turkish also '''Macun şekeri''') is a soft, sweet and colorful Turkish toffee paste.<ref name="Isin 2013"/><ref name="Goldstein Mintz 2015"/> It is a street food that may be prepared with many herbs and spices. Macun originated from spicy preparations of Mesir macunu,<ref name="DailySabah 2014"/> a traditional Turkish herbal paste from the classical antiquity period. During classical antiquity, macun was consumed as a pharmaceutical medicine. It was historically served in a round tray with separate compartments for the various flavors, a serving style that has continued into modern times. The consumption of macun is a part of some Turkish customs.
==Overview== thumb|upright|Macun Macun is a street food that is often sold outdoors,<ref name="Isin 2013"/> especially during street festivals (''panayır''). It is a popular sweet among children.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> The color of various macuns may be vivid or bright.<ref name="Goldstein Mintz 2015"/> Macun may be prepared with a great deal of herbs and spices.<ref name="Önen 1991"/> Ingredients to flavor macun have traditionally included bergamot, cinnamon, mastic, mint, rose, lemon and plum.<ref name="Isin 2013"/>
==History== Macun originated from spicy preparations of Mesir macunu,<ref name="DailySabah 2014"/> a traditional herbal paste from classical antiquity.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> During classical antiquity, macun was consumed as a pharmaceutical medicine.<ref name="Isin 2013"/>
Macun was purported to have therapeutic effects to give the body strength and to calm one's spirit.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> Islamic physicians have prepared hundreds of different varieties of macun.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> The various herbs and spices used were mixed with honey in macun preparation, the latter of which also served to preserve the product.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> Various macuns have been served and consumed as both a medicine and as a confectionery (sweetmeats).<ref name="Isin 2013"/> During the Ottoman period, macun named ''Neruz macunu'', also referred to as ''nevruziyye'', was consumed as both a medicine and confectionery.<ref name="Isin 2013"/>
During the 17th century in Turkey, the dervish Seyyid Hasan denoted the consumption of two flavors of macun, respectively flavored with mint and sweet flag.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> These macun varieties were served at meals he consumed with other dervishes and friends.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> Hasan was a part of the Sunbuliyye mystic order, as its sheikh.<ref name="Isin 2013"/>
==Service== thumb|Macun being served in its traditional container
Macun is typically served in a round tin tray that has separate triangular-shaped compartments.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> It may be served by scooping using a ''macuncu mablaği'' or ''macunkeș'', which is shaped like a screwdriver.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> The macun is scooped and then wrapped around a small stick.<ref name="Isin 2013"/><ref name="Goldstein Mintz 2015"/> This may be done with alternate flavors, which creates a striped sweet.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> In Turkey, people that serve macun may be referred to as ''macuncu''.<ref name="Isin 2013"/>
===History=== In the past in Turkey, the serving trays were constructed from copper or wood, and street vendors would stand the macun trays upon portable tripods.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> Others would carry macun in a container strapped to their waist with a belt, whereby the container had separate compartments for various flavors of the macun.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> Some macun vendors in Istanbul, Turkey, would try to attract customers and compete with other vendors by playing music.<ref name="Isin 2013"/> Street vendors would purvey macun to people at the Hıdırellez spring festival, on market days, holidays, at wedding processions,<ref name="Isin 2013"/> and at other times.
==Customs== In the Anatolia region, it is a wedding custom for the groom to eat macun on the night of his wedding.<ref name="Önen 1991"/> The mesir bayrami ceremony in Manisa, Turkey, involves the distribution of macun to people on the streets.<ref name="Önen 1991"/>
==See also== {{portal|Food|Turkey}} * List of Turkish desserts * List of desserts
==References== {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="Isin 2013">{{cite book | last=Isin | first=M. | title=Sherbet and Spice: The Complete Story of Turkish Sweets and Desserts | publisher=I. B. Tauris | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-84885-898-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YHj-Mdv432UC&pg=PA86 | pages=86–90}}</ref> <ref name="Goldstein Mintz 2015">{{cite book | last1=Goldstein | first1=D. | last2=Mintz | first2=S. | title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-19-931362-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XPNgBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1290 | page=1290}}</ref> <ref name="Önen 1991">{{cite book | last=Önen | first=Ü. | title=Turkey | publisher=Akademia Yayıncılık | year=1991 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzotAQAAIAAJ&q=Macun+toffee | page=65}} {{subscription required}}</ref> <ref name="DailySabah 2014">{{cite web | title=The Turkish sweet tooth | website=DailySabah | date=November 24, 2014 | url=http://www.dailysabah.com/food/2014/11/24/the-turkish-sweet-tooth | access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref> }}
==Further reading== * {{cite web | title=Şişli'de iftar vakti | website=Cumhuriyet Gazetesi | date=June 22, 2015 | url=http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/yasam/304217/Sisli_de_iftar_vakti.html | language=tr | access-date=December 27, 2015}}
==External links== {{commonscat|Macun (toffee)}} * [http://nezihtavlas.deviantart.com/art/Ottoman-Toffee-388250328 Ottoman toffee]
{{Cuisine of Turkey}}
Category:Turkish desserts Category:Turkish words and phrases Category:Candy