My family’s hometown is in Nea Kallikratia, Halkidiki, just 30 minutes south of Thessaloniki. There’s no shortage of Loukoumades in Greece but there are good ones, bad ones, mediocre ones and….great ones! Loukoumades are traditionally made with a yeast dough and they are dropped in hot oil where they puff up and once golden, get a syrup/hone bath and they may get a topping of chopped nuts.
I’ve eaten my fair share of Loukoumades, my favourite in Toronto are at Acropolis (Danforth, east of Pape) but the absolute best that I have tried are Yianni’s in Kallikratia. The man makes small batches of dough and fries them fresh before your eyes then dunks the fried dough in syrup and serves them to you warm with chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Finding Yianni’s is really easy: the town of Kallikratia has a pedestrian walkway right up the middle of town and with the sea to your back, just walk up and as soon as you see the park to your left and the park ends, turn left on the road and walk about 50 metres and you’ll find Yianni’s…big deep fryer on the street, just for Loukoumades.
What makes Yianni’s Loukoumades special is that he uses his hands and spoon to scoop out the dough and plop it into the hot oil…no machines here and while you’re waiting for your order, he’ll chat you up, flash you a smile and quickly you’ll feel like a he’s your friend. The ultimate test to the best Loukoumades is tasting them.
To take a bite into Yianni’s Loukoumades is to feel the light crunch when you bite into them then you’ll notice they are light and airy and then…a burst of syrup that fills your mouth. It’s like the bugger has injected the Loukoumades with syrup!
12 Responses
I’ve been craving these since I left Greece. Amazing!
Oh, they look ever so tempting and delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
So scrumptious Peter, reminds me the ones I ate at Symirna – Izmir – I am sure a delicious heritage from you.
Yummy!
Στην φωτογραφία φαίνονται θαυμάσιοι, είμαι όμως σίγουρος ότι και στην γεύση θα είναι.
Do you eat them hot or cold? I’ve never tried them, but since I love gulab jamun I can’t see any reason why I wouldn’t love these!
Alicia, they are eaten warm or room temperature.
Mmmm, fresh out of the fryer. That burst of syrup is nice after you feel the crunch of the dough.
We get these in Turkey, too but to be honest, I wouldn’t know a good one from a bad one – or a mediocre one – as I haven’t got a sweet tooth. We very rarely eat them. I’m sure they’d taste lovely without the syrup. :)
Julia
My grandmother used to make a version of these for Epiphany every year, except hers were no bigger than marbles, if that! how she made them (by hand) all the same size is a mystery to me. I guess practice. this man sounds like a jolly fellow.
Hey there, I’m trying out some loukoumades recipes and techniques in an attempt to develop and perfect my own…I was wondering if Yianni’s technique involves dunking the balls into syrup, and for how long? I’m guessing just moments, since he serves them right away. They look and sound great! Thanks for your help.
Eda, Yianni and most others allow the hot Loukoumades to soak for 2-3 minutes in cool syrup. Ensure your syrup is thick so that the dough doesn’t become mushy.
Thanks Peter!