- 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 frieddough soaked in sugar syrup orhoney andcinnamon , and sometimes sprinkled withsesame .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 theRomaniotes , though the name derives from medieval German "swinge". [Babiniotis] A similar dish is also found inItaly as sfingi di San Giuseppe.Various other kinds of fried dough with syrup are found in the
Mediterranean ,Middle East , andSouth Asia , from the Italianzeppole to the Indianjalebi andgulab 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
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