- Food & Wine
Carnival sweets in Lombardy
Carts, masks, confetti and fun, Carnival is coming to Lombardy!
Every self-respecting party needs a dessert on the table. It will be a joy to prepare them, but also to enjoy them. Here are the best-known traditional ones that will appear on Lombard tables.
The Lombard one is a Carnival under the banner of masks, parades and above all sweets, by far the favorite of children and also of adults.
With their original Lombard name, Chiacchiere are the most popular dessert in the region. The Milanese ones are not fried but baked in the oven as they used to be done in the past. With the same dough as chiacchiere, Tortelli milanesi are also made, small balls dipped in boiling oil, hollow inside and then filled with custard, chantilly cream or chocolate. Authentic tortelli were called Farsòe and alone were not enough, so they were accompanied by Làciàditt, also fried tortelli but with diced apple added to the dough.
They are known throughout Italy and in Bergamo; they are called Gale, the fritters so called because before being fried, the strips of dough are knotted.
A real gastronomic treat for Mantuans at Carnival are Risulèn, which from their dialect name resemble curls but are not curled sweets. The basic ingredient of these cookies is fioretto, very fine, remilled yellow flour. The dough results in crumbly cookies in a variety of shapes that can be served for breakfast, snack and dinner.
Tortionata di Lodi is also prepared and eaten at Carnival; rich in dried fruit, it is enjoyed accompanied by a good glass of mulled wine.
With a sweet fried flavor, in the Pavia areas, there are Farsi: pancakes that are prepared by mixing flour, sugar, lemon zest and yeast. Those with a sweet tooth also enjoy them filled with custard.
On the other hand, in Brescia the fritters are distantly reminiscent of the leaf of the salad of the same name; they are called Lattughe and are a rectangle-shaped dessert with three cuts inside.
During the carnival period, characteristic sweets are prepared in Crema: the classic fritters, Fréciule, and the more substantial Castagnole; instead, Chisuli are balls of soft dough fried in oil with the addition of raisins and apples.
To conclude, in front of all these delicacies what is needed is a glass of good sparkling wine and that's it. It is a case of saying that at Carnival ... every dessert counts!
Enjoy your meal
