Struffoli: A Christmas Treat from Naples

 

 

Struffoli are a Neopolitan holiday tradition (although other regions have their own names for and versions of it, as well).  They’re little, marble-sized balls of fried dough, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, covered in honey, a bit of cinnamon and orange rind, and lots and lots of tiny, round, multicolored sprinkles!  I got this huge plate of them at Taverna Allegra in Sorrento.  It was so good, but so sweet I couldn’t finish them!  When I was speaking to some Italian friends later, they told me that they usually see struffoli at parties where people take a couple spoonfuls of them – not an entire plate!  Oops.

Then, when I stopped into Roscioli in Rome for some foccaccia, I saw this little treat:

It looked (and tasted) like a little glob of struffoli, hardened so it stuck together in a cupcake mold with an almond on top!  Yum!

Have you ever tried struffoli?  Did your family make them around Christmastime? Share your family’s recipe with us!

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