Loukoumades is a typical Greek street food dessert, very popular both in and outside Greece. Its history comes from the age of the Ancient Greece: the legend tells that this recipe had been offered as a winner’s reward during the first Olympic Games!

These simple pastry balls are deep-fried, then garnished with honey, sesame seeds, and dried fruit. Here the history and the recipe!

ORIGIN OF LOUKOUMADES

The origin of Loukoumades is incredibly ancient: some legends tell about deep fried honey donuts offered to the winners of the first Olympic Games in 776 BC.

The first written news of a sweet similar to Loukoumades comes with the Greek-Sicilian Poet Archestratus lived in VI Century BC, and describe deep fried donuts soaked into the honey syrup called at that time Enkrides.

Loukoumades Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. all purpose flour 1 cup

2. sugar 1 tsp

3. cornstarch 1 tbsp

4. dried active yeast 1 tsp

5. salt 1/4 tsp

6. lukewarm water 3/4 cup

For syrup

1. sugar 1.5 cup

2. water 1 cup

3. cardamom

3 pieces

4. lemon juice 1 tbsp