Ladies and gentlemen, here are ten delicious, tasty street-food specialities from Lazio. Let us open our ice-cold beer and eat with our hands at the “Tutti Fritti Party”!
Frittella di Cavolfiore a Tuscania
Among the most famous fried foods, we find the cauliflower fritters with cinnamon from Tuscania, prepared in January in honour of Sant’Antonio Abate, In March we can taste the Frittello di San Giuseppe di Roccantica with cauliflower florets crackling in DOP EVO oil from Sabina.
Sagra della crespella a Veroli
The Crespella from Veroli is prepared in honour of Santa Francesca Romana in the month of March in Ciociaria. The crespellare fry rings made with flour and water in olive oil, and then sprinkle them with sugar. In the hamlet of Santa Francesca, in fact, the Church preserves a fifteenth-century fresco depicting the Saint with some young women from Verola as her first followers.
Filetti di baccalà fritti
Let us stay on in Lower Lazio, to taste an ancient recipe based on stockfish, or cod if you prefer. Traditionally fried from Christmas Eve to the Epiphany, they are now prepared all year round. Who knows whether the dish descends from the Roman-style fried cod fillet? Certainly, it belongs to the Jewish-Roman culinary culture. This speciality is so popular that some old Roman shops sell fried cod fillets only.
Ju Salavaticu di Roviano
We continue up to Roviano, the village nestled between the Lucretili Mountains Park and the Simbruini Mountains Park, where we can taste ju salavaticu. King of the Festival, which takes place in September, this large circular pancake is simply prepared with water, flour, salt and fragrant, wild Roman mint leaves. The peasant women in the past brought the precious lunch in the canistrelle to their husbands, who were working in the fields.
Salvia fritta
Roman mint reminds us of another aromatic herb, sage. Other than chips, fried sage will enchant you! Dipped in the batter and fried, the leaves go perfectly with mozzarella and anchovies, and, even without any added ingredients, they are served as an appetizer for true connoisseurs of the typical Lazio products. To enjoy them at their best, add beer or sparkling water to the dough and make it softer.
However, it is possible not only to fry sage leaves, but also zucchini flowers. According to Jewish-Roman tradition, the stringy mozzarella heart must incorporate the anchovy, in all its Mediterranean flavour. Do not forget to remove the pistils from the flowers before filling and dipping them in the batter made of flour, salt, beaten egg and cold water or beer.
supplì “al telefono”
So called because of the cheese string it forms when eaten, Supplì al Telefono is an institution in Rome, which, in countless variations, has entered even the most refined restaurants. Cacio e pepe, amatriciano or classic, you always must respect the golden rule of eating it with your hands.
This rice ball first appeared at the end of the eighteenth century, when Napoleon’s French soldiers, discovering this stringy delicacy, exclaimed “Surprise!”, hence Supplì, which people from Rome associate with the telephone and its wire. At the end of the nineteenth century, it could be found in trattorias with the name soplis di riso but their history began on the street, where vendors wandered around in the evening with the caldara full of steaming oil. Even James Joyce was among the most illustrious admirers of the Roman supplittaro. However, the first official recipe dates back to 1929, when Ada Boni called le supplì in the feminine form and seasoned them with a spicy sauce made of chicken giblets, mushrooms and minced pork.
mozzarelline fritte
Yet, while it is true that one supplì leads to another, fried, stringy mozzarella bites, are even addictive! Largely widespread throughout Lazio, they have entered the Olympus of Roman fried food with flying colours. Those suffering withdrawal can store the mozzarella bites in the freezer. They can be perfectly accompanied by Frascati Spumante DOC from Castelli Romani.
Bombe con la crema
Let us end with the fried desserts, such as chiacchiere or frappe, prepared during Carnival, or the irresistible custard bombe. This dessert, typical of Rome and Lazio, is usually eaten at breakfast, as a snack and even as a “parting glass” between friends at late night. Do not call them bomboloni or krapfen, they might be offended. The dough is in fact made of flour, butter, egg and sugar and, after leavening, the bomba is fried and filled with an exaggerated amount of custard!