Around the world, Catholics spend the weeks before Lent celebrating with festivals known as Carnevale. Lent is a six-week-long fasting period, and Carnevale is an opportunity to eat the foods prohibited during the fast. Across Italy, Italians eat a variety of delicious sweet treats to celebrate with.
Here are 7 Carnevale foods you have to try:
Galani
First invented during the Roman empire, Galani fritters are strips of crispy dough covered in sugar. These treats are now a mainstay at Carnevale in Venice. In addition to sugar, the dough is flavored with grappa. They are popular across Italy but often go by other names. In Tuscany, they are better known as cenci and are sometimes known as stracci, meaning rags, because of the uneven rectangular shape. The other terms include crostoli, frappe, lattughe, donzelle, sfrappole, bugie and perhaps the most common, chiacchiere.
Castagnole
Sometimes known as struffoli alla Romana or castagnole alla Romana, these fried balls of dough, similar to zeppole, are dusted in sugar and often have a citrus flavor. The name comes from the castagna, meaning chestnut because the dark fried dough is said to resemble the nut. There are several variations of castagnole. The Jewish version of castagnole is denser and more cake-like, commonly served during the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.
Bomboloni
(Photo Credit: AJ Forrisi)
Bomboloni is a specialty of Tuscany. These fried, yeasted dough balls are filled with jam and cream, then tossed in crystalized sugar. In other words: jelly donuts. The name derives from the Italian bomba, meaning a bomb. One distinguishing characteristic of these filled doughnuts is they have a long resting period allowing the yeast to act and fill the dough with air. That leaves the bomboloni lighter and fluffier than American-style doughnuts. While freshly made bomboloni are associated with Carnevale, they can be found year-round in the region. Jewish Italians will also cook bomboloni as part of Hanukkah celebrations.
Pignolata
Similar to struffoli, these hollow pieces of dough are covered in a honey glaze with a citrus flavor. They are common in Calabria and Sicily. In Abruzzo, they are known as cicerchiata, a name earned because they look similar to chickpeas.
Frittelle
Fritelle is small fried fritters that come in a variety of styles. Unlike the bomboloni or castagnole, these fritters typically have additional ingredients in the dough. In Trieste, grated apples are mixed in like an apple fritter. In Venice, raisins or sultanas are common, as are pignoli, or pine nuts. Today, pastry shops will sell fritters filled with patisserie cream, custards, and chocolate.
Ciambelline di Carnevale
Sold alongside bomboloni in Tuscany, Ciambelline are circular with a hole in the middle–similar to a typical American doughnut. They are often made from the same dough as bomboloni but without any filling. Further south, in areas around Naples, the doughy treats are sometimes known as Graffe. If it isn't evident by now, frying food is a popular theme during Carnevale where sweet, fatty foods are eaten in preparation for the long fast of Lent.
Sanguincaccio Dolce
Sanguinaccio is made using pig's blood but it's actually two different dishes. In northern Italy, this is a savory sausage similar to British black pudding. However, in Naples, the pig's blood is mixed into a sweet treat served at Carnevale. The pig's blood is combined with chocolate, nuts, raisins, and sugar, and then mixed together with Italian pastry cream, and pasticcera, in equal parts. Some versions today may be found without the pig's blood.