Paparajotes Recipe

The recipe for paparajotes is the dessert par excellence of Murcia, and it is not surprising, since they are the largest producer of lemon trees and the main ingredient comes from this tree: its leaf. This recipe is one of the dishes that choose to become Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Its ease of preparation, the low price of its ingredients and the simplicity of finding them make it a perfect dessert for any time. First of all it should be made clear that the lemon leaf, although it is part of the ingredients, should not be eaten, it is only used to decorate and season the dough. Another warning: once you have tasted them you will not want to stop eating them.

• 500 g of flour
• 100 g of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 litre of milk
• 1/2 sachet of yeast
• Olive oil
• Powdered sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling
• A pinch of salt
• Lemon tree leaves

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, sugar, yeast and lemon peel, and season with salt.
2. When it is well mixed, add the flour little by little until you get a dough that is not very thick, but consistent enough to stick to the leaves.
3. Wash the leaves and dry them with a cloth. Submerge the leaves of the lemon tree in the dough until they are completely covered on both sides.
4. In a frying pan, add the oil. When it is hot place each leaf with the dough. To make them brown on both sides, turn them over carefully or add a large amount of oil.
5. When it is well browned, take it out of the frying pan and place it on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.
6. Finally, sprinkle both sides with a mixture of icing sugar and cinnamon powder.