Ekmek kadayıfı

Made with a special kind of dehydrated bread soaked in sugar syrup, the delicious ekmek kadayıfı is traditionally prepared during Turkish religious celebrations such as Şeker Bayramı (lit. festival of sweets), which marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. This simple, yet bountiful dessert is topped with a dollop of thick Turkish clotted cream called kaymak, and it is served sprinkled with either roughly crushed pistachios or walnuts. For those who like their desserts to be a little lower on the sweet scale, the sugar syrup can be flavored with lemon juice, which adds a nice hint of fresh tartness to this heavily sweetened bread pudding. It is believed that ekmek kadayıfı originated in Afyonkarahisar, but today this popular Turkish dessert can be enjoyed in restaurants and patisseries across the country.