Chef Dimitra
Athens Loukoumades (Λουκουμάδες Αθηναϊκοί)
Athens loukoumades are yeasted honey puffs, fried gold and hollow, then drenched with warm thyme honey, cinnamon, and walnuts while still crisp-edged.
Culinary Explorer
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Lalangia Manis (Λαλάγγια Μάνης)
Created by
Mani's Christmas lalangia are lean olive-oil dough ropes, fried crisp and dressed with honey, sesame, and cinnamon, a fasting sweet with teeth.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Christmas
Celebration
Comfort Food
30 min
Active Time
20 min cook•2 hr total
Yield24 lalangia
Lalangia Manis are Mani's Christmas fried dough, thin ropes of flour, olive oil, water, and yeast curled by hand and cooked until they snap under the teeth. They are not loukoumades, and they are not sweet bread. The region is the dish's surname: in Mani, the rope matters.
The whole success is in the shaping. Roll the dough thin and even before it goes into the oil, because lalangia should fry crisp through the center, not puff into soft bread. Honey, sesame, and cinnamon come after, enough to perfume them, not drown them.
I keep this one plain because the fasting table made it that way. No milk. No eggs. Good olive oil, and patience. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, especially with a dish that too easily gets blurred into any fried Christmas sweet.
Lalangia are tied closely to Mani in the southern Peloponnese, where they were prepared around Christmas and other household celebrations from a lean dough suited to the fasting calendar. Their form, long hand-rolled cords fried in oil, separates them from spoon-dropped loukoumades and from the richer holiday breads of northern Greece. In older Mani households they were often served plain with cheese or with honey, depending on the day and the table.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
all-purpose flour
Quantity
500g
plus more for shaping
instant dry yeast
Quantity
7g
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
120ml
lukewarm water
Quantity
220ml
honey
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for the dough
olive oil or neutral oil
Quantity
1 liter
for frying
thyme honey
Quantity
180g
warmed, for finishing
sesame seeds
Quantity
2 tablespoons
lightly toasted
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| all-purpose flourplus more for shaping | 500g |
| instant dry yeast | 7g |
| fine sea salt | 8g |
| ground cinnamon | 1 teaspoon |
| extra virgin olive oil | 120ml |
| lukewarm water | 220ml |
| honeyfor the dough | 1 tablespoon |
| olive oil or neutral oilfor frying | 1 liter |
| thyme honeywarmed, for finishing | 180g |
| sesame seedslightly toasted | 2 tablespoons |
| ground cinnamonfor finishing | 1/2 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •deep heavy frying pan, 26cm
- •kitchen thermometer for frying oil
- •wire cooling rack
Instructions
- 1
Make the dough
Put the flour, yeast, salt, and cinnamon in a wide bowl and mix them with your hand. Add the olive oil, lukewarm water, and 1 tablespoon honey. Knead until the dough gathers into a smooth, slightly firm ball, 8 to 10 minutes. It should feel elastic, not sticky.
- 2
Let it rise
Cover the bowl and leave the dough in a warm corner until doubled, about 1 hour. This is a lean dough, so don't expect softness like tsoureki. Lalangia need strength because they'll be pulled into ropes.
- 3
Shape the ropes
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin rope about 35cm long, then coil it loosely or twist it into a simple loop. Keep the ropes even. This decides the dish: thick lalangia turn bready inside, but thin ropes fry crisp all the way through.
If the dough pulls back, let it rest for 5 minutes. A rested rope lengthens without tearing. - 4
Fry until crisp
Heat the frying oil in a deep, heavy pan to 175C. Fry 3 or 4 lalangia at a time, turning once, until deep gold and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a rack or paper. Don't crowd the pan, or the oil cools and the dough drinks it.
- 5
Finish with honey
While the lalangia are still warm, drizzle them with warmed thyme honey. Scatter with toasted sesame and cinnamon. Eat them the same day if you want the crackle. The next day they are still good, but softer, and nobody in Mani pretends otherwise.
Chef Tips
- •Use good olive oil in the dough. For frying, a lighter olive oil is traditional and honest, but a neutral oil is acceptable if cost is the thing that keeps you from making them.
- •The dough should be firm enough to roll into ropes without sticking. Add flour only a spoonful at a time, or you'll make hard lalangia before the oil has a chance to crisp them.
- •Serve them with honey for the sweet table, or leave a few plain beside a sharp cheese. Mani kitchens know both. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.
Advance Preparation
- •The dough can be made and left to rise 2 hours before frying.
- •The sesame can be toasted a day ahead and kept covered.
- •Lalangia are best fried the day they are eaten; re-crisp leftovers for 5 minutes in a 170C oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 45g)
Calories
200 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
135 mg
Total Carbohydrates
24 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
2 g
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