The Heirloom Chronicles

Can I tempt you with some chiacchiere, frappe, cenci, guanti or bugie ripiene ? Just reading the names already tells you how deeply regional these pastries are. Every part of Italy seems to claim them as their own, renaming them, shaping them slightly differently, yet always recognising them instantly. Despite the many names, the dough, the method and the ritual remain remarkably similar - thinly rolled, quickly fried, and dusted generously with sugar. When filled with your favourite jam or Nutella - yes, that famous chocolate spread - they take on the added verb ripiene , becoming chiacchiere ripiene . Il Carnevale is one of Italy’s most exuberant winter celebrations, beginning forty days before Easter. Its name is often linked to the Latin carne levare  - to remove meat, a reminder that this was the final moment to indulge before the restraint of Lent. Long before Christianity, ancient Roman festivals like Saturnalia celebrated excess, disguise and shared food - tradit...