Easter Cookies from Smyrna, a 100-Year-Old Recipe

Smyrna cookies, along with tsoureki and red eggs, are now an essential component of many households' culinary traditions. We refer to them as Smyrna cookies because they originated in Asia Minor. In Smyrna, they are called Easter cookies because they are traditionally associated with Easter. In Greece, however, they were referred to as Smyrna cookies because they became widely known after 1922, when refugees from Asia Minor brought with them the recipes of their homeland. According to Aikaterini Polymerou-Kamilaki, former director and scientific collaborator of the Hellenic Folklore Research Centre of the Academy of Athens, sweet and fluffy breads, such as cakes, were virtually unknown in Greece. The same is true for sugar, a luxury item that was rarely used in Greek confectionery, except as a sweetener in beverages, and was only available to the privileged social classes. The most...