The word çatal (pronounced ‘chatal’) means ‘fork’, and I can only imagine these savoury biscuits got their name because somebody thought they looked like a two-pronged fork joined together at the top (though if you ask me, they look more like spoons). You are supposed to eat them with your fingers, not with a fork.

The secret ingredient here is a spice powder called mahlep, made from the seeds of the St Lucie cherry. Its flavour is between bitter almond and c