Many things come to mind when speaking of Istanbul, with its splendid past, superb setting and lively culture. And on the other side of the coin the problems facing this huge metropolis. Yet despite everything, there is a fascinating story in every corner of the city, and Bebek is no exception. You do not have to delve into the side streets to find this particular story, whose subject is located on the district’s busiest street, Cevdet Paşa. It has been here in Bebek since the turn of the century, not always in the same building, but on the same street, and always pursuing the same object, that of sweetening the palates of their customers. These are not only local residents, but come here from all over Istanbul, Turkey, and even sometimes from abroad.

Of course I am talking about the famous Bebek Marzipan Shop. Just as İnci is famous for its profiterole, Baylan for its coupes, and Hacı Muhiddin for its Turkish delight, so this is ‘the’ place for marzipan. Let us listen to Sevim İşgüder tell the story of Bebek Marzipan: ‘My father Mehmet Halil Bey came from Mudanya, and my mother Anastasya was from Arnavutköy. My father had come to Istanbul to study, and fell in love with my mother. At first both families opposed this mixed marriage between Turk and Greek, but later they were reconciled to the idea. Marrying meant that my father had to start earning a living, so he set up his own family trade. With the help of my grandfather and my mother he began to make marzipan, macaroons, sorbet and boiled sweets. The shop was registered in 1904.

Mehmet Halil and Anastasya had two daughters, Sema and Sevim. When Sema was 14 and Sevim just a toddler of 18 months, Mehmet Halil died, and their mother took over the running of the business. At that time Bebek’s population was around a thousand. The marzipan, biscuits and pain d’espagne which they made were not only sold in their own  shop but in the famous patisseries of the time, Cumhuriyet, Kamelya and Boğaziçi.

The children use to help their mother. ‘Our childhood was spent making marzipan,’ recalls Sevim Hanım. ‘In those days we used to shell the almonds by hand, my sister, me, my mother, and other children from our neighbourhood. The child who did the most used to win a present, so we raced with one another. We used to dry the shelled almonds on the stove or the brazier. Our marzipan was known as ‘Madame’s marzipan’. For twenty years after my father’s death, my mother ran the business alone, and we children helped her as best we could.

While as a child she had found this job fun, Sevim Hanım did not find it so enjoyable as a teenager. Her mother used to get to work at 6 o’clock in the morning and not return home until late at night. Her elder sister Sema had married meanwhile, but Sevim Hanım was still at school and determined to find another way of earning a living. ‘I would rather have gone out scrubbing floors or doing laundry than do that job,’ she remembers. But her plans were thwarted when her mother fell ill and underwent four operations in succession. Their savings ran out and Sevim Hanım was obliged to take over the business from her mother in 1957. For 42 years her life has revolved around the shop and marzipan, which have been, as she puts it, ‘my lover, my spouse, my child.

And what has been her reward? A reputation which has spread beyond Turkey’s borders, and customers who first tasted her marzipan when they were carried into the shop in the arms of their fathers, and who now bring their own children here to taste it. The secret of marzipan is not actually a secret. After supervising the production of each day’s batch, Sevim Hanım seats herself down in the shop and lights a cigarette. While she chats to her customers she is more than willing to tell anyone how it is made. Just as she did us.

First you shell the almonds. We still do this by hand, as in the past. Secondly they are dried at a low heat for twelve hours. Then they are grated and pounded in a mortar, together with sugar mixed with a little water. Then the paste is kneaded. This is done on a marble slab. After being kneaded to the correct consistency, the paste is shaped and cut. Others might use a different method, but that is the way we do it. The most important difference is that we use no machinery and no additives.

According to Sevim Hanım the secret is not in the recipe but in loving the profession and using the finest ingredients in the right amounts. Her meticulous standards are evident at every stage of the manufacturing process. In the first place the almonds themselves are carefully chosen. Not every region’s almonds are suited to making marzipan. ‘The flavour of the almonds is very important,’ she explains. ‘Aegean almonds tend to be bitter. Datça almonds are wonderful roasted with whisky, but you do not get the same flavour in marzipan. So the raw materials are crucial. Almond trees need nurturing like a child. They are very sensitive. The almond is the first tree to blossom in spring. If there is a frost the whole crop is ruined. We mostly purchase our almonds from Malatya, Elazığ and other provinces in southeastern and eastern Turkey, regions with good quality soil.

How much longer does Sevim Hanım intend to continue creating delicious marzipan from almonds? That is a question which worries her. ‘I wish I had a child to take over the business. Unfortunately I have not been able to train anyone to do so either. This is a job requiring meticulous care. Processing the almonds is like making lace. Sometimes we get offers from large firms, but I turn them down because I don’t trust them to do the job properly. Our traditional confectionery trade has died. Hand labour has been replaced by machines. Today people care not about the minutiae of life which lend it beauty, but only about earning money. I am afraid that this trade will die with me, however sad that makes me and however much I wish it were otherwise.

The shop itself bears traces of the past. The first thing you notice is an embroidered panel hanging on the right at the entrance bearing the words ‘Long Live Sugar,’ which has been here since the time of Sevim Hanım’s father, like the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the antique Beykoz opaline sweet dishes. For those who want to taste Bebek’s celebrated marzipan before it is too late, I should add that this temple of confectionery’s second most important product is pistachio fondant. Then there is akide şekeri (traditional Turkish boiled sweets), Turkish delight, roasted nuts, and sugar coated pistachio nuts, almonds andorange peel. In the winter months crystallised fruits and chestnuts are added to the list. But first time customers go specifically for the marzipan, and when you have tasted it, you will declare that the words on the panel express it perfectly: ‘Long live sweets.’

Skylife 12/99
* By Nilüfer Oktay
* Nilüfer Oktay is a journalist.