Loukoumades are Greek doughnuts which are fried and shaped into small round balls, served with honey, cinnamon and walnuts or plain in Cyprus dipped in sugar syrup.
Sweets in Syrup
Kalon Prama, which is the Cypriot name for Samali, is a moist, eggless, semolina cake, made with sheep’s milk yoghurt, flavoured with mastic and bathed in syrup.
Diples (pronounced diip-LESS), which means folded, is another traditional Christmas sweet pastry, made in many parts of Greece especially in the Peloponnese. These are the desserts they serve at weddings, christenings, engagements etc. but are also very popular during Christmas.
Karydopita (pr. ka-ree-dho-pee-tah) is a Greek walnut cake made with lots of walnuts and bathed in a sweet syrup. The word “karydi” (καρύδι) means walnut and “pita” (πίτα) means pie.
How can we tell if the syrup is ready? That is a good question. There are several methods, old and new, to tell if the syrup has the right density.