Let’s chat and get our hands in the details! Join me this evening, Tuesday, January 16 at 7:30PM Eastern for a complimentary online presentation about traveling in Sicily. Learn more and register at https://experiencesicily.com/travel-to-sicily-online-presentation-and-qa/. 

Here with Gelsomina, I’m making Chiacchiere di Carnevale. When ready, this pastry is a crunchy, sweet, fried dough garnished with powdered sugar. Leading up to Martedì Grasso or Fat Tuesday, the height of Carnevale, one will find these all over Sicily. In 2024, Fat Tuesday is February 13. 

The label “chiacchiere” originates from Naples, where this fried mixture of flour, eggs, butter, and some kind of sweet wine reached high society. During the 19th century, the Queen of Savoy was seeking a sweet finger-food to offer her guests while they chatted. Her pastry chef reimagined and glorified the crud fried dough and named it chiacchiere (meaning “to chat”).

(Photo Credit: Chiara Musumeci Fotografia)