If you asked us to describe the Bolognese cuisine in 3 adjectives, we would say abundant, savoury and a bit heavy ;) When it comes to sweets, they’re no exception.
Let’s have a look at the granny’s recipe book then, to find out which are the typical sweets and cookies prepared for Carnival in Bologna.
As it happens in other Italian regions, the operative word in this season is “frying”. In this article we’ll tell you about some of the most delicious fried desserts like castagnole (plain or filled, drenched in alchermes liqueur or not), fried tagliatelle, and obviously the sfrappole, better known as chiacchiere o frappe. For those who are not fond of fried food we suggest reading the recipe of raviole stuffed with mostarda jam instead.
Sprinkled with lots of icing sugar, the sfrappole are pretty easy to prepare, that’s why perhaps they are often home-made. The dough consists of flour, butter, eggs and icing sugar, with a drop of cognac and orange juice which lend them a fresher and more aromatic taste. Once you’ve rolled out the dough, cut it into rectangular pieces and immerse them in sizzling oil or lard. The trick to get the traditional twisted shape is to turn them with a fork during the frying.
Let’s have a look at the granny’s recipe book then, to find out which are the typical sweets and cookies prepared for Carnival in Bologna.
As it happens in other Italian regions, the operative word in this season is “frying”. In this article we’ll tell you about some of the most delicious fried desserts like castagnole (plain or filled, drenched in alchermes liqueur or not), fried tagliatelle, and obviously the sfrappole, better known as chiacchiere o frappe. For those who are not fond of fried food we suggest reading the recipe of raviole stuffed with mostarda jam instead.
Sfrappole
Sfrappole are maybe the most common Carnival sweet in Bologna and surrounding area. Although the origin of the word “sfrappola” as well as “frappa” is still uncertain, its meaning seems to be connected both with the word “shred” and with “fragment”. Both images are suitable to describe this crunchy and crumbly dessert, whose shape reminds of that of a shred of fabric or of a twisted ribbon.Sprinkled with lots of icing sugar, the sfrappole are pretty easy to prepare, that’s why perhaps they are often home-made. The dough consists of flour, butter, eggs and icing sugar, with a drop of cognac and orange juice which lend them a fresher and more aromatic taste. Once you’ve rolled out the dough, cut it into rectangular pieces and immerse them in sizzling oil or lard. The trick to get the traditional twisted shape is to turn them with a fork during the frying.
Castagnole
Another ode to fried sweets, the castagnole. Prepared all over Italy, just like the sfrappole, these fritters show some regional differences: they can be either soft or crunchy, filled or plain. The ones served in Bologna are round-shaped fritters made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, yeast, grated lemon peel and rum, dipped in the peanut oil and then dusted with granulated or icing sugar. In addition to this traditional version, you can also use your creativity and fill them with crème patissière, Nutella, ricotta cream or jam to get an even yummier result!Fried tagliatelle
In the Italian capital city of egg pasta there are many versions of tagliatelle, both savoury and sweet. Fried tagliatelle are a typical Carnival dessert in Bologna, but don’t think of them as little stripes immersed in boiling oil. They’re rather rolled up on themselves, like many little nests, and then fried.
What’s the recipe of the fried tagliatelle? It’s not as easy as it may seem, especially if you’re not used to roll out the dough, But if you wish to put yourself to the test, you’ll need some flour, eggs and a bit of salt for the dough, while the trick to sweeten make the tagliatelle sweet is to sprinkle it with sugar and grated orange peel before rolling it up.
