L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano F r i t t e l l a ( f r e e t - t e l l - l a h ; p l u r a l : frittelle) refers to a type of fritter. While the word's e t y m o l o g y i s q u i t e straightforward, the history of this delicious treat is very interesting! The word derives from the word fritto, meaning fried, c o m b i n e d w i t h t h e d i m i n u t i v e s u f f i x " - e l l a . " Historically, frittelle date b a c k t o a n c i e n t R o m a n times and have been a part of Italian culinary tradition since then. As said, frittella translates as "fritter" in English and Italians use the word in the same way. For example, per cena ho fatto delle fritrelle con spinaci e parmigiano ("I m a d e s p i n a c h a n d P a r m i g i a n o f r i t t e r s f o r dinner"). Once upon a time, w h e n t h e E n g l i s h w o r d "pancake" wasn't common in Italy, we would use "frittella" to translate "pancake," too. But there is a special type of frittelle, the ones Venetians c a l l f r i t o l e a n d t h e Piedmontese frisceu, which are popular during Carnevale, when they are made at home and often in the streets, too. 1 ends 3 branch 7 my, belonging to me 8 crosses 9 (they) save (to help to survive) 13 west 15 he 16 art 17 (he) drinks Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 hunger 2 (she) swims 4 needle 5 (you/tu) hate 6 dug 10 (feminine plural of) in the 11 (he) flies 12 (he) lives 14 east Usually, their ingredients are a mix of flour, eggs, butter, vanilla, sugar, lemon zest, yeast, salt, and sometimes liqueur. In Piemonte, apples or sultanas are often added, too. Shaped into small balls, they are fried until puffy and golden and then sprinkled with sugar. In Venice, frittelle have been a staple since the times o f M a r c o P o l o ; i n f a c t , a V e n e t i a n v e r s i o n o f t h e i r recipe from the 1300s is one of the oldest documents of Venetian cuisine! Frittelle w e r e s o p o p u l a r i n L a Serenissima that they were proclaimed the official sweet o f t h e R e p u b l i c . I n 1 6 1 9 , frittelle sellers, known as f r i t o l e r i , e s t a b l i s h e d a corporation, granting each member exclusive rights to work in specific areas. This corporation was successful for over two centuries . Ho trovato una ricetta per delle frittelle di verdure che vorrei provare I f o u n d a r e c i p e f o r vegetable fritters I'd like to try Guarda! Una bancarella che vende fritole, le frittelle di Carnevale! Look, a stall selling fritole, Carnevale fritters! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Frittella: a very old treat that always tastes good! Photo: Giorgio Rossi/Dreamstime) 1 mother 2 to hold 3 shirt 4 to run 5 one 6 to talk 7 boy 8 man 9 woman 10 Monday 11 two 12 home 13 head 14 three A C R O S S D O W N ITALIAN WORD SEARCH The solution to these word games will be available on the next edition. Games courtesy of Lexis Rex

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