Hadji Bey is a

Turkish delight Turkish delight, or lokum () is a family of confectionery, confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often fl ...

confectionery that was originally produced in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

and has since moved to a production site in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

with the successor to Urney Chocolates.

History

The original product was created by Harutun and Esther Batmazian, an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

trader and his wife, who arrived in Cork in 1902 after fleeing pogroms in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. They exhibited their

confections Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...

at the Great Cork International Exhibition that year. The business was established in

Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

where it thrived, although after

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

there was an incident with the premises being burned. It is assumed this occurred when soldiers returning from the

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

offensive mistook the family for Turks. Batmazian moved the shop from Lower Glanmire Road to McCurtain Street and set about explaining the family heritage to the local people. The sweet became a regional favourite. The business exported its confections to

Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...

in London and

Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain founded in 1861 by Joseph Bloomingdale and Lyman Bloomingdale. It was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1930, which purchased the Macy's department store chain in 1994, ...

in New York, and their confectionery was even supplied to

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. The Batmazian shop façade on McCurtain Street read: Hadji Bey et Cie, giving the premises an exotic, international, quasi-French atmosphere.

Today

Esther Batmazian died in the 1940s and her husband left Cork, moving to the United States. Their son Eddie Batmazian ran the business until he retired in 1970, after which it began to decline. By 2010 the product was bought and made by UHC Confectionery in Newbridge, while keeping a sales premises at the

English Market The English Market ( Irish: ''An Margadh Sasanach'') is a municipal food market in the center of Cork city, Ireland. It stretches from Princes Street to the Grand Parade, and combines Princes Street Market and Grand Parade Market. The market i ...

in Cork.

Notes

External links

Official website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911235916/http://www.hadjibey.ie/ , date=11 September 2010 1902 establishments in Ireland Companies based in Cork (city) Food and drink companies of Ireland Food companies of the Republic of Ireland Irish confectionery Brand name snack foods Newbridge, County Kildare Turkish delight