Loukoumades by any other name would taste as sweet

The star of every fair in Cyprus, and a childhood favourite for many, Loukoumades are a dessert consisting of leavened, deep-fried dough balls, typically soaked in syrup or honey and sometimes dusted with cinnamon or other flavourings.

Loukoumades trace their origins to Abbasid Baghdad. Etymologically, the term derives from the Arabic word luqma, meaning morsel, mouthful or bite. In 13th-century Arabic culinary texts, the dish was referred to as luqmat al-qādi, or judge’s morsels, with luqma eventually coming to denote the dessert itself.

Explorer and scholar Ibn Battuta, traveling in 14th-century India, encountered a version called al-hashimi at a dinner in Multan, in modern-day Pakistan, referring to the dessert he knew as luqaymat al-qadi.

The recipe for luqmat al-qadi, yeast-leavened dough fried in oil and drenched in honey or sugar syrup, often flavoured with rosewater, dates back to at least the early medieval period, and is well attested in 13th-century Abbasid cookbooks. The dessert’s cultural significance is further evidenced by its appearance in One Thousand and One Nights, notably in the story The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad, where it is featured at a lavish feast.

According to food historian Gil Marks, the Arab and Ottoman empires facilitated the diffusion of lokma from the Middle East to the Maghreb, the Balkans, and India. Today, in Iraq, the dessert is known as lokma or luqaymat, with variations in size and flavour throughout the country. In the Persian Gulf, lugaimat, occasionally spiced with cardamom or saffron, retain a preparation similar to that of the 13th century.

In Cyprus the dessert is called loukoumades or lokmades in Cypriot Greek, typically served with cinnamon in honey syrup and occasionally dusted with powdered sugar. In Greece, loukoumades are a popular street food, often accompanied by honey, cinnamon, walnuts or chocolate sauce.

Prior to the Middle Eastern accounts of loukoumades, evidence suggests a Greek precursor called enkrides – fried dough enjoyed with honey in Ancient Greece – which later merged with other culinary traditions. References to these appear in numerous Ancient Greek texts.

Loukoumades have also been likened to charisioi, which were awarded as prizes at ancient drinking games. Aristophanes and Eubulus describe charisioi as grace or joy cakes, from the Greek word chara, enjoyed at nocturnal festivals called pannichis. The precise recipe for charisioi has not survived.

During the Byzantine period, enkrides remained popular, especially during Lent. Made from flour, yeast and water and sweetened only with honey, they complied with Orthodox fasting rules and were favoured in monastic communities.

More broadly, loukoumades have long been associated with religious observances across regions. In the Levant, they are enjoyed by Muslims during Ramadan, by Jews at Hanukkah, and by Christians at Epiphany, reflecting the dessert’s enduring cultural and spiritual significance across traditions.