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Phoenikia (traditional Greek honey cookies)

ΒΑΘΜΟΣ ΔΥΣΚΟΛΙΑΣ
εύκολο
ΧΡΟΝΟΣ
30'
ΑΤΟΜΑ
4

ΥΛΙΚΑ

  • 180 ml olive oil
  • 380 g flour
  • 100 ml orange juice
  • 120 g sugar
  • 20 ml ouzo
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp clove
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • icing sugar or granulated sugar
  • cinnamon

Περιγραφή

Ikarian foinikia are a traditional Christmas sweet to this day. These crisp cookies may closely resemble melomakarona in ingredients and method, but they do not contain a trace of syrup or honey and remain crunchy. Their recipe comes from very old times and from an island that was once remote and almost forgotten. The Ikarians were frugal, with good reason, as their land was barren, the sea wild, and in summer they consumed whatever they cultivated. Therefore, in winter, things were difficult. They had many olive trees, their entire diet was based on this, and thus they became known, to the ends of the earth, for their longevity, frugality and diet. For this reason, Ikarian foinikia are simple and austere, yet at the same time an important sweet, made with whatever existed in their household. Kneaded with traditional techniques, foinikia are the sweet memory of an era when simplicity met authenticity.

Εκτέλεση

Beat the sugar and olive oil in a mixer until they turn pale. Add the orange juice, which you have mixed with the baking powder and baking soda, the zests, the cinnamon, the clove and the ouzo. Stop beating and from this point on continue kneading by hand, gradually adding the flour. Knead very lightly for a short time, just until the ingredients come together and you have a soft, pliable dough that does not stick to your hands. Line a baking tray with non-stick paper and preheat the oven to 160°C. Cut pieces of dough weighing 20–25 g and shape them into plump cylindrical “foinikia”, placing them next to each other, leaving a small space between them. If you like, press them with a grater or a fork to create raised patterns. Then bake them in a preheated oven at 175°C until golden, for about 20 minutes. As soon as you take them out of the oven, dip them in granulated sugar and cinnamon or sprinkle them with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Άλλες συνταγές

Venizelika of Limnos
After the liberation of Lemnos from the Ottoman yoke in 1912 and, subsequently, with its incorporation into the Greek state, the island was visited by Eleftherios Venizelos. After disembarking at Romeikos Gialos in Myrina, where a crowd had gathered to welcome him, he sampled the treats that had been prepared for him. Among other things, he showed a particular preference for a small white fondant, filled with walnut and almond. And thus, the little fondants with white icing came to be called “venizelika” (Venizelos sweets).
Pea Fava