Sheets of dough rolled into cones or twists, deep-fried crisp, then soaked in sugar or honey syrup.
Palkao (Fried Dough in Syrup)
Ingredients
Method
- Make a firm dough from the flour, eggs, sour cream and salt; rest 20 minutes.
- Roll thin and cut into strips; roll each into a cone or twist.
- Deep-fry in hot oil until golden and crisp; drain.
- Boil the sugar (or honey) with the water into a light syrup.
- Dip the fried pieces in the hot syrup to coat.
- Cool on a rack until the glaze sets; serve with tea.
Fry until fully crisp: a soft piece goes soggy once it hits the syrup.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Kitchen words in Circassian
The words for what is in this dish, in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), with audio from the Circassian app’s lessons and audio course.
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| honey | фоfo | шъоуshow |
| water | псыpsy | псыpsə |
| salt | шыгъуshyghu | щыгъуshchəghu |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
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Palkao: questions
How long does it take to make Palkao?
About 50 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Palkao recipe serve?
It serves 8. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Palkao made of?
The ingredients are: 3 cups flour; 2 eggs; 2 tbsp sour cream; pinch of salt; oil, for frying; syrup: 1 cup sugar (or honey) + 1/2 cup water.
Is Palkao an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as a festive dish (Sweets & Drinks).
Where does this Palkao recipe come from?
From the Recipes section of the Circassian app. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section, recipe “Palkao (Fried Dough in Syrup)” (recipe data last changed July 2026). The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Circassian app: audio course, Kabardian and Adyghe (the kitchen words: cheese, meat, milk, bread, tea, water, food, delicious), and the lessons’ vocabulary (chicken, salt, butter, honey).
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