Loukoumades

Loukoumades are small balls of leavened dough, deep-fried until golden and crisp outside and soft inside, then bathed in warm honey or syrup and dusted with cinnamon. Some versions add chopped walnuts or sesame on top. They are best eaten hot, straight from the fryer, when the outside still crackles against the syrup. In Cypriot Greek you may also hear them called lokmades or loukoumathkia.

This is a festival and street sweet rather than a restaurant dessert. You find loukoumades at fairs, village festivals and seaside kiosks through the year, fried to order in front of you. They also have a calendar place: many Cypriot homes make them for Epiphany on 6 January, and there is an old custom of throwing a few onto the roof to keep mischievous holiday spirits, the kallikantzaroi, at bay. The dish itself is old, with roots traced back to medieval Arab cooking and the word loukoumades linked to the Arabic luqma, meaning a small bite or morsel.

Where to try it

• At seaside kiosks and dessert spots in Larnaca, Limassol and Ayia Napa.
• At village panigiria (festivals) in the Troodos mountains.
• Around Epiphany in early January, when they are a home tradition.

Loukoumades are an easy, inexpensive treat to round off a day, naturally vegetarian and usually eaten by the portion as a shared plate. Have them fresh and warm rather than reheated. They make a good finish after an evening stroll along Finikoudes Beach in Larnaca, where dessert kiosks line the promenade.