The Carnival Fritters

The delicious Carnival fritters are a typical dessert of this festival and are loved by anyone!

In Siena, every year, Piazza del Campo is enriched with the Savelli pancake house since 1945, an inevitable tradition that makes the party even more delicious.
His fritters are so famous because they are particular compared to the traditional ones: the Savelli family uses a 00 flour from the Batignani Mulino di Rapolano, the rice breaking of the Riseria Tarantola, Navel oranges, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt and extra virgin olive oil. olive for frying. Furthermore, the rice is cooked in water and not in milk; also adding the orange zest, flour and a pinch of salt. But the real trick is another: the result must rest for at least 3/4 days and a quick hand is needed to take the small rice balls and dip them in boiling oil. Once the pancake has risen to the surface, it is placed on a wire rack to drain the excess oil, sprinkled with sugar and served.

The origin of the pancakes for Carnival

Carnival precedes Lent, a period that according to the Christian tradition must be dedicated to a rigorous eating style. Spring comes with Lent and, in the past, as there were no refrigerators or other storage methods, it was necessary to dispose of fatty foods left over from winter. Lard in particular, in peasant society, was what remained most in abundance and therefore had to be consumed by transforming it into pancakes! At Carnival, therefore, we indulged in large feasting given the arrival of Lent and given the need to use the leftover foods.

In every Italian region pancakes are consumed in this period but in Tuscany they are made with rice! A feature that makes them even more special.

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