Turkish cuisine is famous for its milk desserts. Gullac, a delicious traditional Ramadan delicacy that dates back to the Ottoman era, is popular during the Iftar, the fast-breaking meal, during the Muslim holy month.

Gullac is a dessert made with rice starch sheets, which are layered with walnuts and soaked in a lukewarm milk syrup, topped with pomegranate seeds, strawberries, or cherries. Usually rose water is also added to this pudding-like mixture.

"Gullac is a favorite Ramadan food because it is not heavy for the stomach and also conserves blood pressure," Yasemin Demirel, one of the managers of the well-known Cumhuriyet bakery in Turkey's capital Ankara, told Xinhua.

The name of the dessert means rose-flavored food, as the rosewater gives the dish its iconic taste.   "Gullac has a balanced ratio of sugar, suitable to our body," Demirel explained, adding it is also recommended by dietitians as a digestive-friendly treat.

To be eaten cold, the dessert is always prepared hours prior to the Iftar to keep its balanced taste and texture, she said.

According to Aylin Oney Tan, a culinary researcher and one of Turkey's leading food writers, Gullac is the "Queen of milk desserts," which is also called the "rose of Ramadan."

"The pleasantly rose-scented silky pudding takes you on a magic carpet ride through the milky way. A true delight fit for sultans," the researcher said.

Indeed, the Ottomans enjoyed a wide variety of culinary treats and some of them transcended to the present days.

According to historians, the sultan who ruled the Ottoman Empire adopted this food in the late part of the 15th century, after it was refined in the imperial kitchens with toppings and garnishes, and became the dessert we know today.

Turkish coffee and tea match Gullac well.