Frittelle Di Carnevale – Delicious Carnival Fritters

This post on frittelle di carnevale was first published on February 6, 2023.

Carnival has always been something we celebrated since we were kids. Therefore, I couldn’t miss a chance to share the recipe for these frittelle di Carnevale or carnival fritters just in time for the holidays. Imagine a bite-sized, delicious fried dough melting in your mouth, filled with anything from raisins to cream. I always looked forward to Carnival only for the food.

For sure, the festivities were nice. Getting dressed and watching the street parades with allegorical carts going by. All the colourful paper confetti ends up anywhere under your clothes. With all the traditional nursery rhymes you heard in school. But nothing could ever beat the thought of having the classic Carnival desserts.

Our house choice of Carnival desserts was frittelle di carnevale and frappe. The former we used to get from a friend’s shop ,and they were the absolute top! The latter was our mom’s recipe for a delicious crunchy pastry that you have with icing sugar. And I am glad to say that tradition still stands to this day. But instead of buying them now, we have Simona making them for us, a treat!

What are frittelle di carnevale?

They are traditional Carnival fritters that are very popular during these celebrations. A bite-size airy fried dough usually filled with raisins and pine nuts. From adults to kids, frittelle di Carnevale are some of the favourites of the Carnival desserts as they are a very indulgent treat, soft and airy and made in less than 30 minutes!

They originate in Venice, where they are called ‘fritoe’ and were once sold on the streets by vendors. The original recipe made its first appearance in the ‘300, and from the ‘600, selling them on the streets was a proper job that was passed on from father to son.

But we can find some ancestors of fritelle in Greek and Roman times too. Nowadays the classic frittella Veneziana which was solely made with raisins and pine nuts has also been upgraded to various fillings. But the most important thing about this is that they need to be fried.

What is Carnival?

Carnival is a festive recurrence connected to the Catholic religion that comes just before the observance of Lent. During this festive season, there are parades, celebrations, street parties, allegoric carts, and masked individuals and overall it’s a time of indulgence in food and drinks.

Where does Carnival originate from?

The etymology of the word carnival seems to come from the Latin ‘carnem leavare‘ which means to eliminate the meat. This period is seen as a reprieve from future abstinence during Lent.

But even if the Carnival we nowadays refer to was celebrated in the Medieval times in Italy, these festive celebrations root in Paganism. The first recurrences happened way back in history to the Egyptian, Greek Dyonisian and Roman Saturnalia festivities. These celebrations were a reprieve from social obligation as well as symbolic renewal.

As Carnival comes just before the beginning of Spring, it also took meaning as a time were the Earth and Underworld are connected. Where the dead walk between the living hence the masks and celebrations to honour them.

Later on, Carnivals kept evolving during the ages. During the Middle Ages, it spread through Italy with its biggest celebrations held in Venice, Viareggio, Acireale and Ivrea. As well spreading through Europe, mostly in France and Spain and afterwards with colonialism it spread to the Americas. And it adopted also African traditions while there, which brought music, coloured costumes and masks.

How many types of frittelle are there?

Too many to count! You can find plenty of different ones throughout Italy as every region has their take on it. You will find them filled with cream, herbs, apples, pears, raisins, zabaglione, and alcohol, covered in icing sugar or just regular white sugar. Depending on where you are celebrating, you can taste the delicious take on the frittelle recipe.

Are there more Carnival desserts in Italy?

There are so many Italian Carnival desserts you would need days to even find them! A lot of regions have a different take on the same Carnival dessert as we mentioned above. Therefore, if you think about fritters you will find castagnole, a smaller version of fritters with butter and covered in powdered sugar; bombette di Carnevale; flavoured castagnole and filled ones and zeppole.

Another typical Carnival dessert is ‘Frappe’ also known as chiacchiere in Naples and Sicily, bugie in Piedemont and Liguria, crostoli in Veneto and cenci in Tuscany. Other carnival desserts worth mentioning are sanguinaccio, Migliaccio, struffoli, schiacciata, strauben and graffe.

What will I need to make these frittelle di Carnevale?

All ingredients you will need for these venetian carnival fritters are easy to find in any supermarket. You will need eggs, flour, sugar, ricotta and baking powder for the dough mix. You will also need raisins which are your add-on flavour to the fritters and lemon zest which will give a fresh touch and make them more enjoyable.

Equipment wise there’s nothing special you need to make the frittelle di carnevale. You will need a mixing bowl, a whisk (unless you prefer to use an electric one), a pot for frying and a plate. So quite sure you already own everything you will need.

How do I make these frittelle di Carnevale?

Making the frittelle di Carnevale is quite straightforward. You will find a lot of steps on the recipe only to explain the frying, but making them mix will only take you five minutes. The rest of the time will be spent on frying.

You start off by beating together eggs and sugar until frothy. Then add in order flour, baking powder and ricotta. Keep mixing until everything is combined. Lastly, you will add the raisins and zest. When the mix is ready you are ready for frying. In a pot, you will add sunflower oil and wait until it reaches 180 °C.

After that, you can start scooping the dough with a teaspoon. The fritters need to be turned over when golden and cooked on both sides equally.

Just a quick tip, keep the oil over medium heat without changing the heat unless you are getting them burned. Second tip, don’t add too many fritters at the same time or it will be hard to keep track of them and they might attach to each other.

Let them rest on a plate with kitchen paper so it can absorb any excess oil. A baking sheet covered in kitchen paper can work too. Sprinkle with sugar and get ready to serve your frittelle di Carnevale!

Can I substitute something in this frittelle di Carnevale recipe?

The recipe doesn’t have many ingredients that can really be substituted. You might manage to change the kind of flour, but it’s always a matter of checking the consistency of your dough and maybe a different frying time. For the rest, I wouldn’t substitute anything as it would compromise the recipe itself.

Can I change the filling of these frittelle di Carnevale?

As we mentioned already, there are plenty of fillings for these fritters depending on what part of Italy you eat them. Therefore the answer is yes! If you feel like raisins are not for you, check out all the other fillings you can have like cream, zabaglione, almond cream, pistachio cream or other fruits.

And if it’s still not your choice, you can always experiment with your baking. I think a cream or a curd could work magic to add after they have been fried. I think passion fruit curd, peach curd or clementine curd could work wonders. Or maybe something citrusy on top like lemon zest instead of sugar. And if you would like a version of boozy frittelle, why not fill them with our homemade pistachio liqueur?

How can I serve the frittelle di Carnevale?

We love to have them still warm from the pan, but you can also wait until they get to room temperature, especially if you are giving them to kids. The fritters are fine as they are, even without anything on them. But if you love to add a traditional touch, you can roll them in granulated sugar, like in the old times. Or as we did, sprinkle them with icing sugar.

Frittelle Di Carnevale – Italian Carnival Fritters

Cristina

A bite-sized soft and airy fried dough filled with raisins for a delicious Carnival treat you can’t pass! 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 20 servings

Ingredients

  

• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp of sugar
• 150 g flour
• 100 g raisins
• 250 g ricotta
• 1 lemon to zest
• 8 g baking powder
• 1 L sunflower oil

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until frothy.
• Add the flour and baking powder and keep mixing, making sure everything is well incorporated. 
• Add the ricotta to the mix and combine.
• Lastly, add the raisins and lemon zest to the mix. Make sure everything is well combined before getting ready for frying. 
•  In a pot, add the sunflower oil and heat until it reaches 180C. 
• Add one teaspoon of dough at a time, making sure you don’t fill the pan too much so you can control each single one of the frittelle easily.
• Fry each frittella until golden on both sides, making sure the temperature of the oil doesn’t change too much or you’ll risk having a middle that is still raw.
• Remove the frittelle and place it on a plate covered with some kitchen paper so that the oil can dry off.
•  Continue to fry until you run out of dough. 
•  Serve the frittelle sprinkled with icing sugar.

Notes

1. Keep the frying oil on medium heat while frying. 
2. The frittelle are best eaten on the same day for a fresher and still airy dough. In case you have some leftovers, keep them in an air-tight container for the next day. 

Keyword frittelle di carnevale

Hope you enjoyed this first post kickstarting The Spaghetti Sisterhood after last week’s introduction! We can’t wait to share more recipes from pasta recipes to any delicious Italian dessert we love.

Have you ever had frittelle di Carnevale? Is Carnival something you celebrate? Have you ever tried any of the other fritelle di Carnevale around? Let me know in the comments!

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