A fried syrup dessert of unleavened choux-style dough piped through a fluted star nozzle into short ridged lengths, deep-fried until deep gold and crisp, then steeped in cooled syrup. The ridges give it its distinctive grooved surface and crunch. Sold by sweet shops across Turkey and the wider region, it is closely related to but distinct from the round, smooth lokma.
The name tulumba means 'pump' in Ottoman Turkish, borrowed from the Italian tromba, a reference to the way the batter is pumped out through the nozzle. According to the food historian Priscilla Mary Işın, the oldest recorded recipe dates to about 1900, attributed to Mahmud Nedim, with a mention of the dessert in Erzurum. Fried syrup sweets of this family have deeper roots in medieval Arab cookery, and close relatives are eaten across the former Ottoman lands, from Persian bamiyeh to Levantine balah al-sham.
The grooved crust shatters with a brittle crunch, then gives way to a chewy, slightly hollow interior heavy with syrup. It is intensely sweet and best eaten the day it is made, while the outside still has its snap; left too long, it softens through. The fluted shape is not just for looks — the ridges trap syrup in their channels and add surface area for the crunch.
The dough is a cooked paste of flour, water and a little semolina or starch, beaten with egg until smooth and pipeable, much like choux. A small amount of acid such as lemon or vinegar in the batter helps the surface stay crisp after soaking. Frying must start in moderately hot oil and rise gradually: too hot and the outside colors before the inside cooks; too cool and the pieces drink oil. As with Turkey's other syrup sweets, the temperature gap is the rule — the hot fried pieces go into cool syrup so the crust glazes and only the interior soaks, keeping the outside crisp.
Variations
Pieces range from short nubs to longer fingers depending on the shop, and the nozzle's number of points changes the look of the ridges. Some makers add a little cornstarch for extra crunch, and many across the region make a near-identical sweet under other names. The round, smooth lokma is its cousin but is dropped freeform rather than piped through a fluted tip.
On the Palate
Where Tulumba sits in the Turkish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 40 min active + 20 min waiting
- 110 min
Bring water, butter, sugar and a pinch of salt to a boil, then beat in flour and a little semolina off the heat to a smooth cooked paste.
- 28 min
Beat in egg a little at a time until the dough is glossy and just pipeable, then mix in a splash of lemon juice or vinegar.
Watch outBeat in egg until the dough turns glossy and just holds a piped ridge — too loose and the shapes slump, too stiff and they won't pipe.
- 312 min
Fit a piping bag with a fluted star nozzle and pipe short ridged lengths into cool-to-moderate oil, cutting each off with a wet knife.
- 412 min
Fry over gradually rising heat, turning, until deep golden and crisp throughout.
Watch outStart in cool-to-moderate oil and let the heat climb gradually — too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks; too cool and the pieces drink oil.
- 515 min
Meanwhile simmer sugar and water with lemon juice into a syrup and let it cool completely.
- 65 min
Lift the hot fried pieces straight into the cool syrup, steep briefly, then drain and serve.
Watch outDrop the hot fried pieces into cold syrup — the temperature gap glazes the crust while only the inside soaks, keeping the outside crisp.
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