About the dish
Luqaimat, meaning “little bites”, are balls of yeasted batter deep-fried until golden. The batter is loose, almost like thick cream, and flavoured with cardamom and saffron, so the balls turn crisp outside and stay light and fluffy inside. While hot they are drizzled with date syrup, called dibs, or sugar syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds. In the Gulf countries they are an essential sweet at iftar during Ramadan, and a favourite snack at festivals and with coffee. Similar fried dough balls are known across the region and beyond, as lokma in Turkey and loukoumades in Greece.
Main ingredients
- wheat flour
- yeast
- cardamom
- saffron
- date syrup
- sesame seeds
United Arab Emirates: In the Emirates it is one of the most typical sweet treats, a fixture of the table during Ramadan.
