Loukoumades

Loukoumas (Greek: "λουκουμάς" [luku'mas] , plural "λουκουμάδες" "loukoumades"), lokma or lokum (Turkish), tulumba (Bosnian), or luqmat al-qadi (Arabic:القمة القادي, see etymology below) are a kind of fried-dough pastry made of deep fried dough soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, and sometimes sprinkled with sesame.

Regional Varieties

In Greece, "loukoumades" are commonly spiced with clove and cinnamon in a honey syrup and can be sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar.

In Turkey, "lokma" are traditionally distributed to the poor at funerals ("lokma dökmek") [Alderson] and sold by street vendors during festivals. [Oxford Companion]

This pastry is called "zvingous" or "zvingoi" by the Greek Jews, who make them as Hanukkah treats. It is claimed to have been originated by the Romaniotes, though the name derives from medieval German "swinge". [Babiniotis] A similar dish is also found in Italy as sfingi di San Giuseppe.

Various other kinds of fried dough with syrup are found in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and South Asia, from the Italian zeppole to the Indian jalebi and gulab jamun.

Etymology

The Turkish word "lokma" means 'mouthful' or 'morsel', from Arabic لقمة "luqma(t)". [Diran Kélékian, "Dictionnaire Turc-Français" (Ottoman Turkish), 1911] A version called لقمة القادي "luqmat al-qadi" (judge's mouthful) was described by al-Baghdadi in the 13th century [Oxford Companion to Food; Charles Perry, "A Baghdad Cookery Book", 2006. ISBN 1-903018-42-0.] and is made in Arab countries to this day.

Cultural references

There is a Greek saying "Eisai megalos loukoumas!" ("you are a big loukoumas"), which is used when the speaker wants to offend somebody by calling him or her stupid.

ee also

*Tangyuan
*chè xôi nước
*Doughnut holes

References

* A.D. Alderson and Fahir İz, "The Concise Oxford Turkish Dictionary", 1959. ISBN 0-19-864109-5
* Γ. Μπαμπινιώτης (Babiniotis), Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens, 1998
* Oxford Companion to Food, "s.v." jalebi.

Notes