Marietta making homemade Calabrian Zeppole aka Italian Fried Dough (VIDEO)

Throughout my life, each and every Christmas, we would have Zeppole. After my nonna died, my father would search to find people who made Zeppole the calabrese way but he always had a complaint about them just not being the same. I always remember Zeppole, Calabrese style because I woke up one morning, saw that my dad had found zeppole, and popped one in the toaster. I immediately sprinkled powdered sugar on top to enjoy it for breakfast and after taking a bite, I was at the verge of vomiting because this Zeppole contained anchovies…yuck! I was so disgusted about the powdered sugar and anchovies combo, yet happy because my dad found someone who made them Calabrese style. I finally believed that they existed! Well now, we are standing in my second cousins kitchen and the first ingredient she emphasizes is the fresh anchovies…dig in!

Zeppole (plural of Zeppola) or zippuli in Calabrian dialect is an Italian word that translates to fried dough or doughnuts. They can be savory or sweet and are made throughout Italy, more traditionally in Southern Italy and Rome. Each town has their own special variation of Zeppole that families or pastry shops will make during St. Joseph’s Day, Christmas, New Years, and other town celebrations. There is the sfinge di San Giuseppe (Sicilian version for St. Joseph’s day filled with custard or ricotta cream), Bignè di San Giuseppe (the Roman version of Zeppole), Scauratielle (San Giovanni a Piro Christmas version) and there is the Zippoli Calabresi (a savory version made with Anchovies). Zeppole making is usually a team effort in which families gather in the kitchen helping each other with the dough making, frying, and ensuring to enjoy the freshly made Zeppole! While in Calabria we made Zepolle two seperate times with two different wonderful cooks; Manu and Angela!

Cool Fact: Manu and her sister, Dita, showed us pictures of their mother and grandmother making the zeppole in the same green bowl that we made them in!