This Greek recipe for a sweet phyllo pastry filled with pumpkin is a very traditional dessert from the Aegean island of Chios. Similar Greek dessert recipes from the Aegean islands go by various names, such as rafiolia and keramidopites, or tile cakes, because they once were baked on hot ceramic roofing tiles, like a makeshift griddle. If you have a baker's stone for bread baking, try baking the little pumpkin pastries directly on top of it instead of frying them. You can make the filling savory by replacing the cinnamon and nutmeg with a little crumbled cashew cheese (for vegans) or feta cheese and some chopped herbs such as dill or parsley.
Combine the honey or maple syrup, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and heat slowly until the mixture begins to boil. Let it simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Open the box of phyllo and place vertically in front of you on a clean work surface. Cut into three stacks of equally wide strips. Keep covered with a kitchen towel. Take one strip, brush with olive oil or melted butter, top with a second strip and brush that with olive oil or melted butter, too.