Loukoumades

I was flipping through one of my cookbooks entitled Cuisines of the World (actually it is five volumes) and I came across this interesting recipe for loukoumades and I thought to myself, "I have to give this a try."  Loukoumades are small cinnamon and honey fritters that could perhaps best be described as a Mediterranean churro.  Before I get into the recipe, let me just say that apparently my cookbook was wrong.  According to the book, loukoumades are from Cyprus but after a little research here on the matrix known as the Internet, I found out that in Cyprus they are actually known as lokmades.  In Greece however, they are known as loukoumades and apparently they have quite a history there.  According to the the website knol, these treats date all the way back to the first Olympics.  Here is a history of these wonderful treats (as supplied by knol):

Two thousand seven hundred and eighty five years ago, in 776 B.C., the ancient Olympic Games were born. The very first Games were a simple affair consisting of only one event: a 200 metre footrace known as the ‘stadion’ from which we get the English word ‘stadium’. Over time, the Games developed to include many more events such as wrestling, jumping, discus and javelin throwing, chariot racing and boxing. When the Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I abolished the ancient Games in 394 A.D., he not only put an end to a quadrennial pagan athletic festival, but he also put an end to a calendar system that reckoned its dates according to the succession of Olympiads since 776 B.C., a period of some 1170 years. Let us hope that the Modern Olympic Games will last as long.

The history of Greek gastronomy is inextricably linked to the ancient Olympics in three ways. First, and literally so, there was the amateur athlete who claimed the sole wreath of victory in 776 B.C. A cook or mageiros (μάγειρος in Gk.) by the name of Coroebus of Elis was proclaimed victor of the stadion race in the first Games at Olympia. This will not come as a surprise to anyone who has made the mad dash for the kitchen at the slightest hint that something was burning…

The second point of confluence between the history of Greek cuisine and the Olympic Games was the traditional victory prize for athletes in the ancient Games. Victors were awarded a wreath or kotinos (κότινος in Gk.) fashioned from a small branch taken from a wild olive tree that stood in Zeus’ sacred grove at Olympia. The kotinos is an unmistakable symbol of the importance of the olive and its cultivation to the Greeks, both past and present. Olive oil is a fundamental ingredient in Greek cooking and has been so from the most ancient times.

The third and final point of convergence between the history of Greek food and the ancient Olympic Games was the ritual feeding of the victors at ancient Olympia. The poet Callimachus tells us that one of the earliest prizes awarded to the winners were what is commonly translated as “honey tokens” (χαρίσιοι in Gk.), which were essentially fried balls of dough covered in honey. These were offered to the victorious athletes in a highly ritualized ceremony along with the kotinos wreath. Callimachus’ reference to these “honey tokens” is the earliest mention of any kind of pastry in European literature. Today, the “honey tokens” of Callimachus are known as Loukoumades (pronounced ‘loo-koo-MAH-thess) and can be found throughout Greece in special pastry shops that serve only Loukoumades.

OK, I know you are thinking, "Yeah, yeah, that will come in handy if I ever make it to Final Jeopardy but how about the recipe?" OK, I get the point so without further commentary on my part, here is the recipe for loukoumades.  I hope you enjoy it.

Loukoumades (Cinnamon and Honey Fritters)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 ounce dried yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 8 Tbsp warmed honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the yeast.
2. Gradually add warm water, stirring well. The mixture should be very thick.
3. Cover batter with a towel and leave in a warm place for 3 hours, or until doubled in size.
4. Heat the oil until very hot but not smoking.
5. Take a teaspoonful of dough and use another spoon to push the dough into the hot oil.
6. Cook only a few fritters at a time.  Fry until golden on both sides (about 1 minute).  Drain on paper towels.
7. Distribute fritters among 4 plates. Drizzle the honey syrup over them and then sprinkle a light dusting of cinnamon over the top.