Frappe

The origin of this typical carnival cake seems to go back to the Saturnalia, a Roman festival dedicated to the god Saturn characterised by rich banquets and the exchange of gifts. During the festivities, frictilia were made, sweets that look very similar to frappe and that the Roman writer and cook Apicius describes in De re coquinaria as "fritters made with eggs and spelt flour cut into small pieces, fried in lard and then dipped in honey".

Even today, the recipe for frappe calls for very few ingredients such as eggs, flour, butter and sugar that form a dough to be fried, as tradition dictates, or baked in the oven if you prefer a lighter version.

The magic of frappe, however, lies in their shape, which, from simple strips of dough, can be transformed into knots, bows and butterflies. Honey, icing sugar or even simple white sugar sweeten the dish, which, as if to embody the spirit of Carnival, can be livened up by a cheerful splash of alchermes.

First make a well in the flour on the pastry board and add the baking powder, sugar, grated lemon peel and a pinch of salt. Then add the eggs and flaked butter. Mix all the ingredients together until the dough is smooth and homogeneous.

Separate the dough into balls and, after sprinkling the pastry board with flour to prevent the dough from sticking, roll out the first ball into a sheet and cut rectangular strips with a pastry wheel.

If you want to make frappe with different shapes, you can make a small incision in the centre of the dough to create a cut through which one end of the strip will pass: in this way, by pulling slightly, you will create a sort of small knot.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a frying pan and as soon as it is hot, immerse the frappe in it. When the pastry is golden brown, drain the frappe on paper towels and, once they have cooled down, dip them in alchermes and sprinkle them with honey or icing sugar.