When it comes to Carnival sweets, Bolognese cuisine has a lot to offer. As in other Italian regions, the craziest feast of the year brings many fried delicacies to Bologna. In this post we will explain how to prepare castagnole, fried tagliatelle, and of course the legendary sfrappole, known elsewhere as chiacchiere or frappe. For those who do not like fried food, we have also included a recipe for delicious raviole, a sweet filled with mostarda.

Sfrappole

Although the origin of the name 'sfrappola' is uncertain, it seems that its meaning is close to the concept of 'shred', or 'shattered thing'. Two images are quite fitting, because sfrappole have a very crunchy texture, and tend to 'shatter' rather easily. Moreover, their shape can actually resemble that of a shred of cloth or a twisted ribbon.

The sfrappole are the carnival dessert par excellence in Bologna. Covered in a soft coat of icing sugar, they are made with a little flour, butter and eggs, but also a dash of cognac and orange juice to give them a fresher, more aromatic flavour. Once ready, the sfrappole should be dipped in boiling oil or fried in lard. To obtain their characteristic shape, simply turn them with a fork while cooking!

Fried tagliatelle

In Bologna, tagliatelle are eaten in every possible way, even fried! Carnival tagliatelle are prepared with two simple ingredients, flour and eggs, but the process can be complicated if you are not used to rolling out the dough. To make them sweet, the trick is to sprinkle the pastry sheet with sugar and grated orange zest before rolling it on itself to cut the noodles.

Before dipping them in boiling oil, you will have to roll them on themselves to form a sort of small nest.

Castagnole

Like sfrappole, this carnival cake is also prepared in various parts of Italy, and depending on the region they are more or less soft and contain a filling or not.

Bologna's castagnole are small balls of dough made of flour, butter, eggs, yeast, sugar, grated lemon rind and rum, fried in peanut oil and then sprinkled with icing or caster sugar. This is the most classic version, but they are sometimes also served with a filling of custard or Nutella, but also ricotta cream or jam.

Raviole

Finally, raviole. This Bolognese carnival cake consists of a soft pastry shell that holds a filling of mostarda, a very special-tasting jam made from quince pears, quinces, sugar and oranges. Unlike other carnival sweets, however, raviole are not fried but baked, then covered with caster sugar. According to tradition, however, they are also brushed with plenty of alkermes.