Lokma is a

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...

made of leavened and deep fried dough balls, soaked in syrup or honey, sometimes coated with

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

or other ingredients. The dish was described as early as the 13th century by al-Baghdadi as ''luqmat al-qādi'' (), "judge's morsels".

Etymology

The

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

word () (plural ), means ''morsel'', ''mouthful'', or ''bite''. The dish was known as () or "judge's morsels" in 13th-century Arabic cookery books, and the word ''luqma'' or ''loqma'' by itself has come to refer to it. The Turkish name for the dish, , is derived from the Arabic, as is the Greek name ().

History

Loukoumades Greek Doughnuts with Walnuts and Honey

The recipe for ''Luqmat al-Qadi'', yeast-leavened dough boiled in oil and doused in honey or sugar syrup with rosewater, dates back to at least the early

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

period and the 13th-century

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

, where it is mentioned in several of the existent cookery books of the time. It is also mentioned in the ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...

'', in the story ''The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad''. The explorer and scholar

Ibn Battuta Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...

in the 14th century encountered the dish he knew as ''Luqaymat al-Qadi'' at a dinner in

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

, during his travels in

medieval India Medieval India was a long period of post-classical history in the Indian subcontinent between the ancient and modern periods. It is usually regarded as running approximately from the break-up of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century to the star ...

, where his hosts called it ''al-Hashimi''. It was cooked by palace cooks in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

for centuries and influenced by other countries cuisines of the former countries of the Ottoman Empire in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, Middle East, and the Caucasus.

Preparation

The thick and smooth yeast batter rises and has a very soft and foamy consistency. The batter is usually dropped into hot oil and fried to a golden brown color, but some are doughnut-shaped. Lokma are served with honey and, occasionally, cinnamon. Traditionally, the batter was leavened with yeast but modern variations sometimes use baking powder.

Regional varieties

Arab countries

Today, in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, it is called ''lokma'' or ''luqaymat'' (diminutive plural of ''luqma'' lit. 'small bites'), and they differ both in size and taste across the country. While in Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, ''lugaimat'', sometimes spiced with cardamom or saffron, are little changed from the 13th-century recipes, in parts of the Middle East they may also be called (), meaning "floater", or (), with numerous spelling variations, though the latter term may also refer to a similar dish made in a long spiral or straight baton shape. They are traditionally included in times of religious observances; for example in the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

by Muslims at

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, Jews at

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

, and Christians at

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: Psychology * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany seaso ...

alike.

Cyprus

The pastry is called () and () in

Cypriot Greek Cypriot Greek (, or ) is the variety of Modern Greek that is spoken by the majority of the Cypriot populace and Greek Cypriot diaspora. It is considered a divergent dialect as it differs from Standard Modern Greek in various aspects of its ...

. They are commonly served spiced with cinnamon in a honey syrup and can be sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar.

Greece

The dish called () is a mainstay of Greek cooking, in particular in the south of Greece, and is a popular street food served with any combination of honey, cinnamon, walnuts and chocolate sauce. There is evidence that loukoumades originated from "enkrides", a dough fried in oil and enjoyed with honey in Ancient Greece. This treat continued to be popular in the Byzantine era, particularly during Lent, as the absence of dairy or meat meant that it met the requirements of Orthodox fasting (Greek: νήστεις, nēsteis). References to deep fried donuts soaked in honey syrup, called "enkrides" (Greek: ἐγκρίς, plural ἐγκρίδες), are found in several Ancient Greek texts including works by

Archestratus Archestratus ( ''Archestratos'') was an ancient Greek poet of Gela or Syracuse, Magna Graecia, in Sicily, who wrote some time in the mid 4th century BCE, and was known as "the Daedalus of tasty dishes". His humorous didactic poem ''Hedypatheia ...

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

, Steischorus,

Epicharmus Epicharmus of Kos or Epicharmus Comicus or Epicharmus Comicus Syracusanus (), thought to have lived between c. 550 and c. 460 BC, was a Greek dramatist and philosopher who is often credited with being one of the first comedic writers, ...

, Nikophon,

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

and

Pherecrates Pherecrates (Greek: Φερεκράτης) was a Greek poet of Athenian Old Comedy, and a rough contemporary of Cratinus, Crates and Aristophanes. He was victorious at least once at the City Dionysia, first probably in the mid-440s (IG II2 2325. ...

. In ''

The Deipnosophists The ''Deipnosophistae'' (, ''Deipnosophistaí'', lit. , where ''sophists'' may be translated more loosely as ) is a work written in Ancient Greek by Athenaeus of Naucratis. It is a long work of Greek literature, literary, Ancient history, h ...

'',

Athenaeus Athenaeus of Naucratis (, or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; ) was an ancient Greek rhetorician and Grammarian (Greco-Roman), grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century ...

describes enkrides as "cakes boiled in oil" and "seasoned in honey". Loukoumades have also been likened to "charisios" (Ancient Greek: χᾰρῑ́σῐος), or "honey tokens".

Callimachus Callimachus (; ; ) was an ancient Greek poet, scholar, and librarian who was active in Alexandria during the 3rd century BC. A representative of Ancient Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, he wrote over 800 literary works, most of which ...

mentions that these were given as gifts to victors of the Olympic games.

and Eubulus both describe charisios as "grace" or "joy" cakes (from the Greek word χαρά meaning joy), enjoyed at nocturnal festivals called "pannichis" (Greek: Παννυχίς). The recipe for charisios has not been recorded. In the Byzantine period, enkrides, or loukoumades, were popular during Lent. As a sweet treat made with only flour, yeast and water, and sweetened with honey, they met the requirements of Orthodox fasting and were also popular in monasteries. Along with halva, they are considered an example of the creative inventiveness of Orthodox Christians in this period. This term was also used by the Romaniotes (

Greek Jews The history of the Jews in Greece can be traced back to at least the fourth century BCE. The oldest and the most characteristic Jewish group that has inhabited Greece are the Romaniotes, also known as "Greek Jews." The term "Greek Jew" is pre ...

) as the name for loukoumades, who call them ''zvingoi'' () and make them as

treats.

Pontic Greeks The Pontic Greeks (; or ; , , ), also Pontian Greeks or simply Pontians, are an ethnically Greek group indigenous to the region of Pontus, in northeastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). They share a common Pontic Greek culture that is di ...

who migrated from the Black Sea as a result of the Lausanne Conference call them ''tsirichta'' ().''Tsirichta'' are served at Pontian weddings.

Turkey

There are different types of lokma in Turkey. Dessert lokma are made with flour, sugar, yeast and salt, fried in oil and later bathed in syrup or honey. In some regions of Turkey lokma are eaten with cheese, similar to breakfast

bagel A bagel (; ; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. Bagels are traditionally made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a torus or ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. ...

s.Geleneksel hayır lokması Nedir
hayır lokması
/ref> ''İzmir lokması'' are doughnut shaped with a hole in the middle. The spherical one is called the Palace Lokma (Turkish: ''Saray lokması''). In the Güdül-Ayaş regions of

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, there is a type of lokma known as ''bırtlak''.Pourin
Lokma
dessert for charity Traditionally, forty days after someone passes away, close relatives and friends of the deceased cook large quantities of lokma for neighbours and passersby. People form queues to get a plate and recite a prayer for the soul of the deceased after eating the lokma.