Daktyla (Ladies' fingers)

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.

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. 

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.    

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.

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.

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!