Recipe: Eat Sweets, Speak Sweetly.

Turkish Idiom: "Tatlı Ye, Tatlı Söyle"

Turkish Idiom: “Tatlı ye, tatlı söyle” — Eat sweets, speak sweetly.

Meaning: Life is short, so speak with kindness, uplift rather than harm and express yourself with thoughtfulness and grace.

I recently came across this Turkish idiom in a political discussion about Türkiye, and it stuck with me. It’s a simple but powerful idea: what we consume and what we say matters. Just as a bite of something sweet can lift your mood, thoughtful words can shift the energy in a room. That doesn’t mean staying silent in the face of injustice, far from it. But it’s a reminder to rise above the noise, to speak with intention rather than impulse. The world feels chaotic right now and if we’re in this for the long haul, a little perseverance (and maybe a little dessert) will go a long way.

Inspired by this saying and as a little reminder to bring some intention and sweetness into a chaotic world, let’s bake. But not just any dessert. The moment I saw the name Sticky Date and Halva Puddings with Tahini Caramel, I was hooked.

Recipe: Sticky Date and Halva Puddings with Tahini Caramel

This recipe comes from the fantastic cookbook Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley. The moment I saw it featured helva, dates, coffee, tahini, and caramel, I knew I had to make it. It was also published online by The Kitchn in 2021, so you can find the full recipe there. My plan was to follow it exactly as written first, using it as a foundation for potential variations down the road.

This was my first time making caramel at home (I know, shocking!). I hesitated at first, haunted by all the disastrous caramel attempts I’d seen on The Great British Bake Off, all those last-minute, panic-induced failures that often lead to elimination. But I pushed through the fear, and let me tell you that I’m sold. This caramel is everything.

There was a brief moment when I thought I had ruined it, but I stayed the course, and it turned out beautifully. If you’ve been hesitant to try making caramel yourself, let this be your sign—give this version a go!

Caramel in the Making

I baked the date cakes in a mini-muffin tin, which turned out to be the perfect choice. With their caramel-dipped tops, these little pudding cakes are sweet and rich; just one or two are enough to satisfy.

These are definitely best enjoyed warm, topped with a drizzle of caramel, a sprinkle of sea salt and toasted sesame seeds. The recipe also suggests serving them with a spoonful of crème fraîche or yogurt, which sounds delicious. I didn’t get that far, but I’ll take their word for it!

Variations: Some variations I have been thinking about would include pistachios and figs. While I did like the addition of helva, I also think I reducing some of the sweetness would be good. I would even make the date cake base on its own as a muffin cutting the helva and reducing some of the sugar.

The full recipe can be found HERE.