The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging.

[8] Similar Arab and Persian recipes, including the use of starch and sugar, predate Bekir by several centuries.

[11] There are also claims that It was invented by the Greeks of Asia Minor, where It then became popular throughout the Ottoman empire and Safavid Iran.

[15] In Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Tunisia it is known as ḥalqūm, while in Kuwait it is called كبده الفرس kabdat alfaras; in Egypt it is called malban (ملبن [ˈmælbæn]) or ʕagameyya, and in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria rāḥa (راحة).

Its name in various Eastern European languages comes from Ottoman Turkish lokum (لوقوم) or rahat-ul hulküm.

[20][21] In Greece, Turkish delight, known as loukoumi (λουκούμι), has been a popular delicacy since the 19th century or earlier, famously produced in the city of Patras (Patrina loukoumia) as well as on the island of Syros and the northern Greek cities Thessaloniki, Serres and Komotini but elsewhere as well.

Turkish delight was introduced to European portions of the Ottoman Empire under its rule and has remained popular.

[citation needed] Fry's Turkish Delight, created in 1914,[24] is marketed by Cadbury in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand.

[25] Hadji Bey was an Armenian emigrant to Ireland who in 1902 set up an eponymous company – still in existence – to produce rahat lokoum for the Irish and later UK markets.

[31] Sales of Turkish delight rose following the theatrical release of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

[32]Turkish delight holds deep cultural significance in Greece, Turkey, Iran, and across the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

In Turkey, lokum is a staple during festive occasions such as weddings, where it symbolizes sweetness and prosperity in the couples' life together.

[34] It is commonly served to guests alongside tea or coffee, representing warmth and respect for visitors.