L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano made with corn and wheat f l o u r s , d r i e d f r u i t s l i k e raisins, nuts and figs, apples or pears, and a touch of fen- nel seeds or cinnamon for a unique flavor. Just south of Trieste, in Opicina, one will find an even more unusual Carnival f r i t t e r — l e f r i t t o l e c o n l'anima, or fancli z duso in Slovenian dialect. These savory beignets are made with a dough enriched with grappa or acquavite, flour, eggs, oil, and white wine, and stuffed with anchovies, as that was the regular catch in the nearby fishing village from which they hail. T h i s s a m e r e g i o n i s k n o w n f o r i t s s t r u c c h i fritti, little doughy treats stuffed with a rich mixture of nuts, hazelnuts, raisins, pine nuts, lemon zest, cin- namon, rum, and grappa. There are some notable C a r n i v a l f r i t t e r s p o p u l a r o u t s i d e o f F r i u l i - V e n e z i a Giulia as well. I n A b r u z z o , r a v i o l i dolci teramani are tradi- tionally served during Car- n i v a l d a y s , n o t e d f o r t h e preparation of a sweet ricot- t a f i l l i n g ( s h e e p o r c o w ' s milk are acceptable), and a brates with a similar tradi- tion. Some locals masquer- ade as Rölar, whose faces are smeared with soot, and o t h e r s a s K h e i r a r s , w h o wear wooden masks. Also a German-speaking village, Sauris sits at about 3200 f e e t a b o v e s e a l e v e l , a n d very little produce grows there naturally (apart from a wild plum tree that pro- duces fruit for a short peri- od, everything else must be imported). One of the only traditional desserts made here for Carnival - and wed- dings or other festivities - is vledlan, a fritter prepared with flour, sugar, eggs, grap- pa, and some locally grown wild mint or sage. Only 40 miles to the east, near the Slovenian border, y e t a n o t h e r s m a l l t o w n holds a traditional Carnival procession, this one featur- ing beautiful white masks and "ugly" masks. Festivi- ties include dancing to the tune of the cïtira (violin) a n d t h e b ü n k u l a ( c e l l o ) , munching on sope, a mini French toast-like piece of bread dipped in egg, then p a n - f r i e d a n d s p r i n k l e d with sugar, and consuming b u j a r n i k , a f r u i t c a k e touch of cinnamon. These lightly sweetened dumplings can be eaten with either a meat and tomato sauce, but- ter, and sage sauce, or sim- p l y w i t h s o m e s u g a r a n d cinnamon. In Liguria, Carnival is celebrated with a ravioli t r o m p e l ' o e i l — t h e s e dumplings will satisfy a real s w e e t t o o t h . T h e y c a n b e filled with anything from a l m o n d p a s t e t o j a m , o r fruit and nuts. However, the classic "scherzo" for Carni- val is a traditional prepara- tion of almond paste-stuffed ravioli served in a "tomato s a u c e " ( m a r m a l a d e ) a n d topped with "parmigiano" shavings (marzipan). The s t o r y g o e s t h a t G e n o v e s i monks developed this recipe to satisfy their cravings for sweets during Lent, when animal products were not a l l o w e d t o b e c o n s u m e d . Today in Liguria, many vari- a t i o n s o f t h e s e r a v i o l i d o l c i appear throughout the year as well. From Venice to the vil- lages of Friuli-Venezia Giu- lia and beyond, there is no better way to savor Carnival t h a n t h r o u g h a s n a c k i n g tour of its sweet treats. I n t h e m o u n t a i n s o f U d i n e n e a r t h e A u s t r i a n b o r d e r s i t s S a p p a d a , a small village where Carnival bears witness to folkloric processions and desserts that sound more German than they do Italian. Also known as Plodar Vosenòcht in dialect, the longstanding Carnival tradition calls for participating locals to dress u p a s t h e f e a r - p r o v o k i n g character Rollate. Sporting a large black fur with a red wool headpiece, the Rollate wear wooden masks to dis- guise the faces and voices of t h e p e o p l e b e h i n d t h e m . These figures carry brooms and dance through town on the three Sundays preced- ing Lent, otherwise known a s D o m e n i c a d e i P o v e r i , Domenica dei Contadini, and Domenica dei Signori. They also hand out mogn k r o p f e n , a t o r t e l l i dumpling stuffed with pop- pyseed and honey. Another festive food is the Hosen- earlan, or orecchiette di coniglio (rabbit's ears), ravioli made with a mix of corn and wheat flours, but- ter, eggs, sugar, and a touch of grappa and lemon. N e a r b y S a u r i s c e l e - C h i a c c h i e r e , b u g i e , f r a p p e , a n d c e n c i . N o m a t t e r t h e name, they are a similar Carnival snack—thin, d e e p - f r i e d s t r i p s o f a liqueur-enriched dough that a r e t o s s e d i n s u g a r a n d munched upon during the f e s t i v i t i e s . I n V e n i c e , a r g u a b l y h o m e t o I t a l y ' s most famous Carnival cele- bration, they're known as c r o s t o l i o r g a l a n i . B u t these aren't the only sweets worth their weight in zuc- c h e r o f o r t h i s o c c a s i o n . Yeasted doughs fried in oil p r o d u c e m o u t h - w a t e r i n g sugar-dusted fritters, and dessert dumplings show up as hearty and sweet ravioli, or tortelli, often deep-fried and stuffed with dried fruits, chocolate, nuts, and sprin- k l e d w i t h e x t r a s u g a r … o r marzipan. Venice's galani and frit- tole take center stage dur- ing Carnival. The former are made of flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and grappa or white wine, then are deep-fried to p r o d u c e c r i s p y a n d f l a k y results. Frittole are the quin- tessential fried donut made of a yeasted flour dough with the addition of eggs, sugar, lemon zest, raisin, and pine nuts. In the 17th century, frittole were chosen as the n a t i o n a l d e s s e r t o f t h e Venice Republic. They were prepared by fritoleri, who set up shop on the streets in little wooden huts. About 70 of them formed a union-like organization ensuring that they and their families could maintain their businesses in specific locations through- out the streets. Ultimately, this organization was dis- m a n t l e d , b u t t h e t r e a t r e m a i n s a c l a s s i c e a t e n today. Veneto's quieter neigh- bor, Friuli-Venezia Giu- lia, has similar sweet tradi- tions that are influenced by bordering countries Austria and Slovenia. The impact of these cultures affects local holiday rituals during the Carnival period as well. JESSICA S. LEVY The sweet side of Carnival: sugar-dusted traditions from around the Boot Castagnole are a traditional sweet pastry for Carnevale (Photo: Marina Bakush/Dreamstime) and, bottom right, the iconic chiacchiere, also known as frappe, cenci or bugie (Photo: Alessandro De Leo/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES

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