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Ballokume is an Albanian cookie originating in the city of Elbasan,[1][2] which is popular throughout Albania and Albanian communities.[3][4] It is traditionally eaten on Dita e Verës, an Albanian pagan holiday celebrated on 14 March.[1][2][4][5] It is sometimes called kulaç me finj, as it may optionally contain finj, a mixture of ashes from a wood stove boiled in water.[4][6]
It consists of butter, sugar, eggs, and cornflour. It is traditionally kneaded in a copper bowl, which is supposed to improve the texture of the dough.[1][2][6] The dough must be kneaded vigorously, which is why the men of the house are often involved in the ballokume preparation.[1][2][7]
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Tradition holds that the name comes from a 16-century Ottoman ruler of Elbasan who, after having tasted a small cake made from corn flour cooked in a wood fire, exclaimed: “Është ba si llokume!” (“It’s as good as a lokum!“), the word ballokume resulting by contracting this sentence.[2][4][7]
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