Pestil

Pestil, a Turkish word meaning dried fruit pulp, is best exemplified in the English term "fruit leather." Fruit leather is made from mechanically pulverizing fruit, then spreading it out to dry into a tough, yet flexible and edible material which can be kept preserved for several months in an airtight container. In Armenian pestil is called ''pastel''. In Greek it is called . In some regions of Turkey, including the southeastern city of Urfa, this fruit dessert is also called ''bastık''.

A plum-based dessert from Bulgaria is also called pestil. It's prepared by boiling plums with sugar and water and cooling the mixture in a solid layer. Bulgarian pestil is sometimes thicker than its Turkish counterpart and might be cut in small pieces instead of rolled up.

Pestil might be made with different types of fruit beside plums. Apples, apricots, pears, peaches and melons are popular choices.

Etymology

According to Turkish etymological dictionary '' Nişanyan Sözlük,'' Turkish ''pestil'' and Italian ' are cognates and ''pastillo'' might have derived from Italian '. The dictionary asserts that the relationship between ''pestil'' and French '' pastille'' is ambiguous. The oldest written record of the Turkish word is dated back to 1501 dictionary '' Câmiü'l-Fürs.'' According to Robert Dankoff, Turkish word derives from Armenian ''pasteł'' (, "" / "fruit leather") which in turn derives from Ancient Greek (, "pastille").

See also

* Churchkhela
* Kaysefe
* Orcik candy
* Pastila
* Fruit Roll-Ups
* Tklapi

References

External links

{{Turkish cuisine

Turkish desserts
Turkish words and phrases
Armenian desserts
Greek desserts
Bulgarian desserts
Fruit dishes