Ballokume is an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

originating in the city of

Elbasan Elbasan ( , ; sq-definite, Elbasani, ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in centr ...

, which is popular throughout

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and Albanian communities. It is traditionally eaten on

Dita e Verës Dita e Verës or Verëza (English "Summer Day") is an Albanian spring festival and pagan holiday celebrated (also officially in Albania) on March 14 of the Gregorian calendar (March 1 of the Julian calendar), for the beginning of the spring-su ...

, an Albanian pagan holiday celebrated on 14 March.Elbasani Ballokume - traditional sweet
Monarch It is sometimes called ''kulaç me finj,'' as it may optionally contain ''finj'', a mixture of ashes from a wood stove boiled in water. Ballokume elbasani

It consists of

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

, and

cornflour Cornflour or corn flour may refer to: * Corn starch or cornflour (in the UK), from the endosperm of the kernel of the corn (maize) grain * Maize flour or corn flour (in the US and elsewhere), very finely ground cornmeal, ground from dried maize ...

. It is traditionally kneaded in a copper bowl, which is supposed to improve the texture of the dough. The dough must be kneaded vigorously, which is why the men of the house are often involved in the ballokume preparation.

Etymology

Tradition holds that the name comes from a 16-century Ottoman ruler of Elbasan who, after having tasted a small cake made from corn flour cooked in a wood fire, exclaimed: “Është ba si llokume!” (“It’s as good as a lokum!“), the word ballokume resulting by contracting this sentence.

References

External links

Ballokume recipe
- Albanian Way Albanian cuisine {{albania-cuisine-stub Holiday foods

Etymology

See also

References

External links