Finiotika Loukoumia
The visitor of Fini usually departs from the village with a box of Finiotika loukoumia. The visitor wants to keep something sweet from the visit and this seems to be the ideal thing.
The art of the Finiotiko loukoumi was bought to Fini by the confectionary maker, Fylakti Pilavaki. Mr. Fylaktis lived in Egypt from a child and that is where he learnt the art of loukoumi making. In 1930 he returned to Cyprus and began using this art in Fini. The creation of the loukoumi is not an easy process. The maker begins work from very early in the morning. After separating the ingredients necessary (sugar, nisiasten, various aromatic substances and of course water) the large pot is paces on the niskia (a special place in order to warm up the large pot). Then the ingredients are places in and the fire is lit. It must not be very strong and then the cooking process begins.
At the same time the mixture must be mixed constantly in the large pot which is kept for many hours. At the beginning the mixture is moist and the mixing is easy. However once it begins to become thicker the mixing becomes harder. As the mixing must be done for hours there need to be two people in order to assist each other.
After the loukoumi is cooked and the stirring has finished, the pot comes off the fire and the contents is poured into wooden moulds, where it stays until the next day in order to cool down. The next day it is cut into pieces and then icing sugar is placed over it. It is then places in boxes and then it is ready.
The finiotika loukoumia are well known all over Cyprus and overseas.
