About

 

Loukoumades is a sweet dessert consisting of deep-fried dough balls dipped in honey syrup and sprinkled with sugar. It has mixed origin from Greece, Turkey, Persia, and Egypt. The dish is also called Lokma in Turkey, Loukoumades in Cypriot and Luqmat al-qadi in Persian.

 

History

 

Loukoumades is considered as the oldest recorded dessert in the world. In ancient Greece, these deep-fried dough balls were served to the winners of the Greek Olympics. The Greek poet Callimachus was the first to express that these deep-fried dough balls were soaked in honey syrup and afterward served to the winners as "honey tokens". That’s the reason why nowadays the winners usually bite the medal. Over the years, this same recipe spread out everywhere throughout the world. Local variations were prepared in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and other ancient states too. In Greece, the dish is set up from fermented dough that is spiced with cinnamon. The local Greek Jews despite everything, still make a traditional version of the dish called “zvingoi”, which is cooked and served during Hanukkah. A slightly different recipe is also prepared in Italy and it is called “Sfinci di San Giuseppe”. A slight variation is also made in Egypt and Iraq called “Luqmat al-qadi”. 

 

Preparation

 

The dough is first prepared with yeast, flour, sugar, margarine and salt. Then they are shaped and deep-fried. After that, they are soaked in honey syrup or sprinkled with sugar. Despite the fact that the specific recipe may differ from country to country, most chefs will use basic flour and sugar to make the dough balls. In Greece, there is a famous sweet delights shop where they take the loukoumades to another level. Combining the traditional deep-fried dough with toppings that are not traditional makes this shop stand out. 

 

Serving and Eating

 

The dish is usually served as a dessert as dough balls dipped in sugar. The sweet dough balls are then sprinkled with cinnamon to enhance the taste. The specific appearance of the Loukoumades varies. Some people prepare round dough balls while others may prepare doughnut shaped varieties that are cooked in the same way.

 

 

Health and Nutrition facts

 

The nutritive value of the dish varies with ingredients used. A single serving of 156gr has around 300 calories. Mario – volunteer and author of this article loves them.

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References

1. Wikipedia (2020). Loukoumades’. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokma. Accessed 8th of April 2020.

2. Tasteatlas (2020). ‘Loukoumades’. Available at https://www.tasteatlas.com/loukoumades. Accessed 8th of April 2020.

3. Huffpost (2020). ‘ Loukoumades’. Available at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/loukoumades_b_2346379. Accessed 8th of April 2020.