Finikotá

Φοινικωτά, πασπαλισμένα με ζάχαρη άχνη. <br/> Πηγή: Αυγούστα Στυλιανού.

Φοινικωτά, πασπαλισμένα με ζάχαρη άχνη. Πηγή: Αυγούστα Στυλιανού.

Φοινικωτά, πασπαλισμένα με ζάχαρη άχνη. <br/> Πηγή: Αυγούστα Στυλιανού.

A Christmas sweet, drizzled with syrup or sprinkled with sugar. In this recipe, the dates are pitted and stuffed with walnuts and then inserted whole in the dough.

Name - Recipe
Cypriot name of dish
Φοινικωτά. Finikotá.
Greek name - description

Κουραμπιέδες ή μελομακάρονα με γέμιση από χουρμάδες.

Ingredients

For the dough:
~1 kg of plain flour (farina 00)
4 tsp baking powder 
1 cup of spry vegetable shortening (or 2 cups of oil)
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 glass of orange juice
2 tbsp of brandy & rose water
zest of 1 orange
1 vanilla
1 bag of desiccated coconut

For the filling:
2 cartons of dates and proportional walnuts

For the syrup:
1 1/2 glass of sugar
1 glass of water

Method

Pit the dates and place a walnut in each one. Beat the vegetable shortening (or oil) with the sugar, orange zest and vanilla well. Mix the orange juice with the rose water and cognac. Add the baking powder to the flour and add it to the butter mixture alternately with the orange juice to make a soft dough. Roll out small pies (9 cm in diameter) and place the stuffed date in the centre of each one. Fold each one into a roll. Bake the mini rolls in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes. Allow them to cool. Boil the syrup beforehand to thicken and let it cool. Brush the syrup on the finikota and roll them in the desiccated coconut. (MANRE 2011, 72)

Cooking method

Baking in the oven.

Comments

This recipe makes about 50 finikota.

Festive Occasions

Prepared during Christmas festivities.

Time period
20th - 21st c.
Βibliography

Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (2011) "For the farmer: good nutrition, energy saving and finikota for the Christmas season", Farmer, October - December 2011.

Researcher / Recorder

Varvara Yangou