flipHoney fritters of the Hippodrome
Honey fritters of the Hippodrome
Why this dish? Theodora grew up in the teeming world of the Hippodrome, where her father kept the bears of the Greens. In those stands where the people thrilled to the races, fried fritters drizzled with honey were sold, crispy and burning hot. This is the flavor of her childhood, amid the crowd.
Small fried dough balls, golden and crispy, dripping with warm honey. The street treat devoured in the tumult of the races.
Before the crown, there was the Hippodrome — its noise, its factions, the smell of horses and the crowd. And there were these fritters, pulled sizzling from the oil and immediately drowned in honey. As a little girl, I reached for them between two races. You eat them too hot, you burn your fingers, and you still take another. The people made me what I am — and the people knew how to rejoice with little.
- •Wheat flour — as needed (dough)
- •Leaven — a little (leavening)
- •Warm water — as needed (liquid)
- •Olive oil — for frying (cooking)
- •Honey — abundantly (coating)
- •Sesame seeds — a pinch (finish)
Honey fritters of the Hippodrome
Small fried dough balls, golden and crispy, dripping with warm honey. The street treat devoured in the tumult of the races.
Why this dish? Theodora grew up in the teeming world of the Hippodrome, where her father kept the bears of the Greens. In those stands where the people thrilled to the races, fried fritters drizzled with honey were sold, crispy and burning hot. This is the flavor of her childhood, amid the crowd.
Before the crown, there was the Hippodrome — its noise, its factions, the smell of horses and the crowd. And there were these fritters, pulled sizzling from the oil and immediately drowned in honey. As a little girl, I reached for them between two races. You eat them too hot, you burn your fingers, and you still take another. The people made me what I am — and the people knew how to rejoice with little.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — as needed (dough)
- Leaven — a little (leavening)
- Warm water — as needed (liquid)
- Olive oil — for frying (cooking)
- Honey — abundantly (coating)
- Sesame seeds — a pinch (finish)
Ingredients
- Flour — 250 g (dough)
- Baker's yeast — 1 packet (or 1 tsp active dry) (leavening)
- Warm water — about 20 cl (liquid)
- Oil (olive or neutral) for frying — 1 large bowl (cooking)
- Honey — 5 tbsp (coating)
- Sesame seeds — 1 tbsp (finish)
Method
- Dissolve yeast in warm water; mix with flour and a pinch of salt to form a soft, sticky dough.
- Let rise covered for 1 h, until doubled and bubbly.
- Heat oil (170 °C). Using two wet spoons, drop balls of dough into the oil.
- Fry until well golden, turn, then drain.
- Drizzle with warm honey (slightly thinned with water) and sprinkle with sesame. Eat warm.
How it was made : Honey fritters descend from the enkrides of Greek antiquity: fried dough balls coated in honey, sold in streets and gatherings. They are the direct ancestor of today's Greek loukoumades.
The contemporary twist : Piled in a pyramid, flowing honey and golden sesame: the 'loukoumades' of neighborhood festivals, fifteen centuries old.
Sources : Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae (enkrides, by ancient descent)
Theodora · Charactorium
