Frittula (''frittola'' in
Italian language
Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about ...
) is a traditional
Sicilian street food from
Palermo. It is similar to the
frìttuli from
Calabria, but seems to use calf parts instead of
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
.
The waste left from the slaughter of mechanically processed calves includes bones that are ground for industrial use, and pieces of
meat boiled at high temperature in large silos. After the meat is cooked it is pressed to remove
moisture
Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some commercial products. Moisture also refers to the amount of water vapo ...
and formed into bales. This process, similar to
lyophilization
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by most conve ...
(freeze drying), can preserve the frittoli for years.
The "''frittularu''" "revives" the frittoli by frying it with
lard and placing it in a large wicker basket (the "panaru") and a cloth of flavorings such as
bay leaf, and pepper. It is served by hand and placed on a sheet of waxed paper or in a bun or
focaccia
Focaccia ( , , ; lij, fugassa ; nap, label= Barese, fecazze ) is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called ("white pizza"). Focaccia can be served as a side dish or as san ...
.
Frittola was once transported by
donkey, but is now sold from three-wheeled vans.
[Diego Gambett]
The Sicilian Mafia: the business of private protection
page 209 One author describes the dish as "oil fried fat and
cartilage".
An 1869 book reports frittola in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
, although this most likely refers to a sweet or savoury fried dough rather than the meaty version from Palermo.
[William Henry Davenport Adam]
The queen of the Adriatic: or, Venice past and present
page 239
References
Palermitan cuisine
Cuisine of Sicily
{{Italy-cuisine-stub