Frappe, cenci, chiacchiere, bugie, rappe, frappole, galani, frittole, cròstoli. There is no Carnival without this versatile and crunchy sweet.
The name changes and with the name some small details that identify the regional variants, but the recipe is very similar and unique joy that these sweets bring to the tables at any time of day, from breakfast to after hour.
Rectangular, long, knotted, thin or full-bodied, always crumbly and crispy and sprinkled with plenty of powdered sugar.
Like all simple recipes, they have a very ancient history, it seems that they were already prepared by the Romans for the Saturnalia, a festival which is a precursor of today's Carnival. Apicius, one of the most refined gourmets of ancient times, in his "De re coquinaria" describes them as follows: "Pancakes made of eggs and spelt flour cut into small pieces, fried in lard and then dipped in honey".
From the bakery oven or the oven at home, the time is now, here is the recipe:
what you need:
500 gr of flour
80 gr of sugar
50 gr of butter
three eggs
1 glass of Vin Santo delle colline lucchesi.
oil for frying
icing sugar
how to make it:
in the flour arranged in a fountain put the sugar, eggs the Vinsanto and lastly the melted butter. Knead well until the dough is smooth and soft and does not stick to your hands.
Let the dough rest for an hour, in a cool place, wrapped in a cloth.
Roll out the dough and cut it into strips, knots or rectangles.
Fry in plenty of boiling oil and, once cold, dust with plenty of icing sugar.
Happy Carnival!