Krofne, mekike and Turkish lokma: fried dough that unites the Balkans

If one smell wakes a whole house faster than an alarm clock, it is fried dough. Serbia knows it as krofne, mekike and uštipci; Turkey as lokma, pişi and tulumba (yes — tulumba also arrived from the Bosphorus). All branches of one tree: the Ottoman fried-dough culture, changing costumes from Anatolia to the Balkans.

Who is who in the family

• Krofne — airy doughnuts with jam or cream; Serbia's most-searched recipe.
• Mekike — rustic morning flatbreads of soft dough; their Turkish twin is pişi.
• Uštipci — spoon-dropped fritters, no philosophy required.
• Lokma — small crispy balls soaked in cold syrup; in Turkey "hayır lokması" is fried in huge cauldrons and handed out free on the street, to mark a memory or share a joy — the same instinct as carrying a tray of krofne to the neighbors.
• Tulumba — piped syrup pastry, known on both sides under the same name.

Recipe: Turkish lokma in syrup (naturally vegan)

No milk, no eggs, no butter — flour, yeast, water and syrup. Perfect for Serbia's lenten (posna) table without a single substitution.

1. Syrup first: 300 g sugar + 300 ml water + a spoon of lemon juice, simmer 10 minutes, cool completely. Rule: cold syrup, hot lokma.
2. Dough: 250 g flour, 1 tsp dry yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, 200 ml lukewarm water — mix to a smooth, sticky batter, looser than bread dough. Swap a spoon of flour for semolina for extra body.
3. Rise: 60-80 minutes in a warm spot, until doubled and bubbly.
4. Fry: oil at 175°C, drop balls with a wet teaspoon, 3-4 minutes to golden.
5. Soak: hot lokma straight into cold syrup for 2-3 minutes — crispy shell, sweet heart.

Pişi: the quick morning twin

Pişi is what mekike would be if born in Anatolia. Quick recipe for 4: 400 g flour, a sachet of dry yeast, a teaspoon each of salt and sugar, about 250 ml lukewarm water. Knead a soft dough, let it rise 45 minutes, divide into 8 balls, hand-stretch each into a finger-thick disc and fry 2 minutes per side. Serve hot — savory with white cheese and olives, or sweet. Like lokma, the dough is just flour, yeast, water and salt, so pişi is naturally vegan too — and toppings are where the fun starts:

• Tahini + grape molasses set — mixed on the plate and poured over warm pişi; champion's breakfast, more in the tahini guide
• Strawberry and sour cherry jam portions, or thick dried fig jam
• Hazelnut cream — the children's vote, unanimous
• Powdered sugar with a pinch of cocoa — the krofne trick, works on lokma too

For no-frying days

Syrup-dessert cravings without the frying pan: şekerpare and kemalpaşa, ready to serve. Black tea is mandatory company — Çaykur Tiryaki 1 kg — and the whole morning ritual is described in the Turkish breakfast guide.

Everything for sweet mornings in one place: the breakfast category and the full catalog. Questions? Write to us.