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Daktyla (Ladies’ fingers)

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Daktyla, also called daktyla kyrion (meaning ladies fingers) is the most popular Cypriot dessert made with phyllo which is very crisp and very juicy, filled with almonds, cinnamon and sugar. 

They are fried and then drenched in syrup, scented with anthonero (orange blossom water), which make them irresistible.  

Daktyla is a very old recipe with a few ingredients but so delicious. 

As most of the Cypriot traditional recipes, these were made with simple everyday ingredients which they usually had at home.  

This is one of the many Cypriot specialties offered during the pre-lenten period  called “Sikoses” in Cyprus.  

However, we often eat daktyla during Lent, as they are vegan. In the recipe I added some honey to the syrup, but this is optional.

Cypriot Daktyla ladies' fingers image

The word “sikoses” derives from the verb σηκώνω = sikono, meaning lifting. 

Sikoses is the ten day period before lent when the lifting of all the meat takes place before Easter. 

daktyla cut picture

Making daktyla used to be quite a difficult job, having to roll out the dough  into very thin phyllo by hand but nowadays it is much easier using a pasta machine, although the procedure is time consuming as it takes some time to make them.    

My mother image
My mother at the age of 55

I remember my mother would make them quite often and she used to roll out the phyllo the traditional way, by hand. 

She always needed some help and she would call me to help, as by the time I was 10 -12 years old  shes was about 55 years old and suffered from rheumatism.  

The remaining five siblings were either married or lived abroad. 

The youngest of them all was my brother and he was seven years older than I and my first sister was  seventeen years older than me, so I was the only one left to help her.  

At the beginning she would tell me to press the edges with a fork and gradually year by year I helped her even more.

I eventually learned to roll out the phyllo by myself. Later on, when I got married, I bought a pasta machine, which made things much easier.

Daktyla and pischies image

Instead of making the syrup from scratch, I sometimes love using my leftover syrups when making “glyka tou koutaliou” (Greek fruit preserves).  

You should try them especially with bergamot syrup, as the taste is amazing!

This and many more Cypriot recipes are included in my cookbook Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!

The Almond stuffed pastries called Daktyla are my entry for Let’s go Nuts with Almonds, hosted by JZ, of Tasty Treats.

I am also sending this recipe to In My Box, hosting this month’s Sugar High Fridays #53, created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess.

Daktyla (Ladies’ fingers)

Daktyla (Ladies’ fingers)

Yield: 100
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Daktyla, also called daktyla kyrion (meaning ladies fingers) is the most popular Cypriot dessert made with phyllo which is very crisp and very juicy, filled with almonds, cinnamon and sugar.  They are fried and then drenched in syrup, scented with anthonero (orange blossom water), which make them irresistible.

Ingredients

  • 500 grams (1.10 lbs) all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup mild olive oil
  • 200 ml water (about 1 cup)
  • Mild olive oil or peanut oil for frying

Filling:

  • 1½ cups almonds, skin on, finely ground
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • 2 - 3 tbsp anthonero

Syrup:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tbsp Greek thyme honey (optional)
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 5 – 6 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 lemon peel
  • 2 tbsp anthonero

Instructions

  1. Prepare the dough and set aside to rest.
  2. Put the sugar, honey, water, cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon peel in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon, cloves and lemon peel and add the lemon juice and blossom water and let it cool.
  3. Finely pound the almonds but do not powder and mix with sugar, cinnamon, and as much of blossom water to make them hold together.
  4. Roll out the dough to make a very thin phyllo. Make a long piece of phyllo with width not more than 6 cm (2½”). Place about 1 tsp of filling at the edge and roll twice to the shape of a finger.
  5. Cut with a knife and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal. You can also make one large phyllo and add the filling alongside leaving gaps between each other about 4 cm (1½”).
  6. The remaining procedure is the same: roll it twice, cut it lengthwise, separate among the gaps, cut and then press with a fork.
  7. Place them on a floured surface not too close to each other because they may stick together. Cover first layer with cling film and add another layer on top.
  8. Heat plenty of olive oil in a frying pan and fry on both sides, until golden. Remove in the syrup until the other batch is fried.
  9. Remove to a colander for a few seconds and then place on a platter.

Notes

Note: Although it is a very simple dessert, it is best to have help during the frying procedure as they fry very quickly. They have to be placed in the syrup immediately and removed quickly to a strainer as the next batch will be already frying in the pan.

© Ivy Liacopoulou
Cuisine: Cypriot Cuisine / Category: Desserts

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About Ivy Liacopoulou

Ivy Liacopoulou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus, a beautiful island in the eastern Mediterranean, where her passion for cooking began as a child, helping her mother in the kitchen. Ivy belongs to a new generation of home cooks who loves to experiment and create new recipes of her own. She is the author of two cookbooks and she owns and manages Cooking Classes, in Nafplio, Peloponnese.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Lubna Karim

    Wow Daktyla looks yum…..The process may be long but the end results make me drool…….Thank you for such a beautiful and adorable award.

  3. Peter G

    I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever had these…they look familiar. (Are they similar to “poura” (cigars)?) Anyway…delicious looking Ivy!

  6. Cakelaw

    These sound delish Ivy – almonds and orange blossom water make for an interesting combination. Love your photo montage.

    Thanks for the award! I am very honoured.

  7. JZ

    wow, Ivy!! I really have to admire and comment on your determination! Making daktyla seems to be such a long process, but you have left me longing for more :-). The video tutorial is awesome…

    Thank you so much for sending this to Lets go nut – Almonds!!
    What an amazing entry!!

  9. Happy Cook

    It is always wonderful to learn new kind of food from your place.
    This one looks so delicious and going throught the recipe i can say it must be really really yummy to eat these.

  10. Aparna

    I know its a lengthy process but its certainly worth the effort. We laso have swwets like this in India which are deep-fried and then coated in thick sugar syrup, and I know how good they taste.:)

    Thanks for considering my blog “Adorable”, Ivy.

  11. maria

    I have njoyed daktyla in many a Cypriot friend’s home and they are extremely good. I always want to try desserts such as these or diples, but HATE frying at home … I need to get over that though because I am missing out on some yummy dishes!!

  12. Bellini Valli

    These pastries sound incredible. They are almost like filo Spring Rolls and very, very tempting.I admire you so much. I don’t think I would spend the time to prepare my own filo. We can get a thicker grade of filo that give our dishes that “almost homemade” feel, we can also get wholewheat filo as well.

  15. arfi

    mmm… i can believe these must be a winner amongst kids. we have similar treat using spring roll wraps, though we use banana instead of nuts. i still do it for my family sometimes, though I myself cannot eat it. put some nutella in it, surely they will be finished before you know it!

  16. Kiran

    These sound great, and the pictures do it justice. We make a similar sweet dish, with mixed nuts, sugar, coconut, raisins and semolina. I like the idea of this filling and also using filo pastry, I have yet to be brave and use it. You are doing good to keep the tradition and making home made filo pastry. It is wonderful to keep such traditions alive so that we can pass it on to the next generation. Nothing beats home made food 😀

  17. Reeni

    I love these, especially for the filling. I can’t resist anything with almonds. They look so scrumptious!

  20. Ning

    The Daktyla sounds good and yummy, I don’t think anyone would feel that they are fasting for lent!

  23. Abigail

    Those look SO yummy and I can just imagine them with that hint of bitter orange water. Yum! And thank you for the cuteness award – how fun!

  24. Núria

    Dearest Ivy, You will think I’m so rude! I haven’t said anything for a while!!!! Sorry girl… I don’t spend as much time in front of my Pc lately plus I feel a bit lazy about blogging… Hopefully the excitement will come back soon.

    Your lady fingers look so tasty and crunchy… Mmmmmm 😀

  26. Koulla

    I bought your cookbook and made them. No words to describe how delicious there were!
    Regards from London,
    Koulla

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