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Daktyla kyrion, or ladies’ fingers, are a popular cookie in Cyprus made of thread-like dough wrapped around a crunchy center of ground almonds, sugar, and cinnamon, deep-fried and doused in a sugary, flower-infused syrup. They are particularly popular during the preparation period leading up to Lent. The dough can be easily purchased or made at home, and the cookies are sealed with a fork, fried in oil, and dipped in a simple syrup made of water, sugar, honey, flower water, and citrus zest.
On the small island nation of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most popular cookies is called daktyla kyrion, or ladies’ fingers. True to description, these crunchy sweets are the size of medium-sized fingers and eaten en masse during the holiday of Sikoses, which is a Greek celebration held after Carnival but before Lent. The cookie construction consists of a thread-like dough, wrapped around a crunchy center of ground almonds, sugar, and cinnamon that’s deep-fried and then doused in a sugary, flower-infused syrup.
While these cookies are popular year-round in Cyprus, they are offered on a widespread basis during the weeks leading up to the Catholic holiday of Lent. For many, meat and delicacies are off-limits during these several weeks, making these delicacies particularly popular during the preparation period. Mardi Gras is the most famous pre-Lenten festival in Western societies.
The phyllo dough surrounding the daktyla cookies can be easily purchased from most standard sized grocery stores. It’s not hard to make at home, though. Composed of flour with water, oil and a little salt, the dough rests for a few hours. It is then rolled out thinly with a rolling pin or pasta machine and cut into squares as long as a woman’s finger. For the correct consistency, it is important to follow a recipe. For example, a recipe on the Global Cookies website uses 1 cup (about 237 mL) of water and 0.33 cup (about 78 mL) of oil per 7.5 cups (about 1.7 kg) of flour, along with just a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, almonds and often pistachios are also crushed and mixed with cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. A small pile of the daktyla mixture is placed in a center row of each dough square. Each square is rolled around dice. These cylinders are sealed at the edges by pressing a fork into the seams and then fried in oil.
While the daktyla dry on paper towels, a simple syrup is made on the stove. In a pot, water, sugar, honey, flower water and even citrus zest are brought to a boil. A ratio of about three parts water, two parts sugar, and one part honey is customary for a thick syrup, with just a little flower water and the zest added for flavor. After the liquid becomes syrupy, the crunchy cookies can be dipped into the pot and then set aside to dry and cool.
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