Chiacchiere, castagnole, pignolata, cicerchiata: i Italian Carnival sweets they are many and varied. as well as all obviously good and delicious. But as you scroll through the recipes, a question arises spontaneously: why, whatever region they belong to, are they all (or almost all) fried?
Why are Carnival desserts fried?
Frying is historically linked to the need to quickly prepare desserts to offer them to as many people as possible and above all at low cost (similar to the origins of fried pizza). This is why even at Carnival the impossible is fried. Over the years, throughout the country, many have become rooted in tradition fried dessert recipes which cheer up the Carnival period: crunchy, soft, stuffed, fragrant with lots of sugar and colours. Masquerade parties are celebrated like this. But what makes the variety of recipes from the Italian regions important and unique is the innumerable heritage of customs that link Carnival to desserts. Some time ago every region used i local productstoday traditions have allowed themselves to be contaminated by market needs.
Traditional Carnival sweets throughout Italy
Given that typical Carnival desserts are mostly fried, the recipes for preparing them are often different from region to region: sometimes the same recipe – with very slight variations or even the same – also takes a different name depending on the geographical area. It happens with Chatterproduced throughout Italy but called in Tuscany Cenci, sfrappole in Emilia, lies in Liguria and in a part of Piedmont, crostoli in Friuli, Trentino and in some areas of Veneto, milkshake in Rome e galani in Venice and Verona. And it happens with the damselfish, another sweet symbol of Carnival, widespread throughout the country, but born in northern Italy, in Bordighera. Sweet pancakes with a fluffy center – also called broad beans or tortelli, are so called because of their shape which vaguely resembles that of a chestnut. Among the more traditional desserts, there are also other desserts apple fritterscalled in South Tyrol Apfelkiechland made with thick slices of apples, coated in a crunchy batter.
Carnival sweets from Northern Italy
If in Lombardy the tradition of the Ambrosian Carnival dictates that the laciàditt based on apples, in the Mantua area they prepare i curls (in dialect, result) or biscuits prepared with very finely ground corn flour (foil), to which butter, sugar, lard, egg yolks and grated lemon zest are added. On the opposite side, in the North East, the les reign supreme fritole Venetian, enriched with raisins and pine nuts. And i donuts from Alto Adige (in addition to apple fritters) which they are called here Faschingskrapfenor “Carnival krapfen”.
In Piedmont the tradition of stuffed, pancakes from the Alessandria carnival which differ from castagnole because they are swollen and empty inside, and of larger dimensions, which can also be garnished with custard. Not to mention the fact that here chatter is called lies.
