Although there seems to be a few theories as to halka tatlisi's exact path to Istanbul, I learned that halka tatlisi, tulumba tatlisi and churros all share a heritage in medieval Arabic cuisine, with the earliest known record of desserts of their kind stemming from a fritter called zalabiya mushabbak that appears in Kitab al-Tabikh (Book of Dishes) by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq. Considered the most comprehensive work of its kind, this 10th-Century Baghdadi cookbook offers a rare glimpse into medieval Islam's culinary culture and the role food played during the politics of its "Golden Era", when Baghdad was a centre for scientific and cultural learning, and religious and civil leaders gathered at opulent banquets.
