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Pizzelle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pizzelle
Alternative namesFerratelle, nevole, catarrette, cancelle
CourseDessert
Place of originItaly
Region or stateAbruzzo
Main ingredientsFlour, butter/oil, sugar

Pizzelle (Italian: [pitˈtsɛlle]; sg.: pizzella) is an Italian waffle cookie made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring (usually anise or anisette, less commonly vanilla or lemon zest). Pizzelle can be molded into various shapes, including in the tubular shape of cannoli.

Pizzelle were originally made in the comune (municipality) of Ortona, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Many other cultures have developed a pizzelle-type cookie as part of their culture (for example, the Norwegian krumkake). It is known to be one of the oldest cookies and is probably to have developed from the ancient Roman crustulum.[1]

Pizzelle are also known as ferratelle, nevole or catarrette in some parts of Abruzzo,[2] as ferratelle in Lazio, and as ferratelle, cancelle, or pizzelle in Molise.[1]

The cookie dough or batter is put into a pizzelle iron, which resembles a small variant of the popular waffle iron.[3] Originally, the long-handled pizzelle iron was held by hand over a hot burner on the stovetop, although today most pizzelle are made using electric models and require no stove.[4] Typically, the iron stamps a snowflake pattern onto both sides of the thin golden-brown cookie, which has a crisp texture once cooled, although some pizzelle irons feature family crests, special dates, or other decorative designs.[5] Store-bought pizzelle are now commonly available in Italy, and other areas with a large Italian population.

Pizzelle shaped into a cannoli and filled with an orange-almond creme

Pizzelle are popular during Christmas and Easter.[2] They are often found at Italian weddings, alongside other traditional pastries such as cannoli and traditional Italian cookies.

It is also common to sandwich two pizzelle with cannoli cream (ricotta blended with sugar) or hazelnut spread. Pizzelle, while still warm, can also be rolled into a tubular shape using a wooden dowel to create cannoli shells.

See also

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Media related to Pizzelle at Wikimedia Commons

References

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  1. ^ a b Prodottitipici.com, Molise - Dolci e Gelati - Torte e Ciambelle: Ferratelle (Cancelle, Pizzelle) Archived 2018-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian).
  2. ^ a b Barr Crocetti, Adri (December 12, 2016). "Pizzelle, the Italian way for waffle cookies". L'Italo Americano.
  3. ^ Melissa (December 1, 2020). "Classic Italian Pizzelle : My family recipe". Keeping It Simple Blog. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Pizzelle: traditional biscuit with a long history". Biscuit people. November 10, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "Recipe: Pizzelle - The Italian Christmas Cookie and Its History". GRAND VOYAGE ITALY. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

Further reading

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