Have you tried it? It’s possibly the oldest described dessert in the world

If you notice bakery carts with the words “loukoumades” on them while traveling, don’t resist the temptation to stop, buy one, and try one.

This is a Greek street food dessert. Not just any dessert – it’s also a part of Greek history.

The round golden doughnuts, which are usually eaten drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon (you can now choose from a variety of modern syrups instead), are a favorite of adults and children alike. At every panegyri (Greek summer festivals dedicated to a saint), the loukoumades cart-bakery will be the biggest line.

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History

Loukoumades are considered the oldest recorded dessert in the world. The Greek poet, scholar, and librarian Callimachus (c. 310–c. 240 BC) was the first to mention in his writings that during the Olympic Games in Greece in 776 BC, winners were awarded small balls of dough fried in oil and dipped in honey.

A recipe very similar to sweet dough balls in honey was given by the Greco-Sicilian poet Arcehstratus (by the way, considered the first author of a gastronomy textbook) in the 6th century BC. True, he calls the delicacy Enkrides.

The first time the doughnuts were called loukoumades was in the 13th century. Arabic writer Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi’s “Book of Recipes” where they were called loukoumades “luqmat al-qadi” – from the Arabic “bites of the judge”. Over time, humanity shortened the name to “luqma”, and in Turkish it became “lokma”. The Greek version “loukoumades” or “loukmades” comes from the Turkish language. Lokma still means “bite” or “bite” to this day.

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How is it produced?

• Dough is made from yeast, flour, sugar, water or milk and left to rise.
• Form small round balls with your hands or a spoon and cook in hot oil until nicely golden brown.
• We take it out and choose the seasoning. The classic is honey and cinnamon. But nutella, strawberry, vanilla, and other modern syrups are also suitable.

Delicious!