#Carnival typical pastries: the recipes of the province of Cuneo

Many are the typical desserts consumed in Italy in occasion of the Carnival.

Their ingredients and names vary according to the different regions, but they do have some elements in common: for example, many of them are deep-fried and in some cases they are filled with custard, chocolate, jam, or are covered in honey.

Very popular in the province of Cuneo are the bugie, also diffused all over Italy with many different names.

Bugie are thin and crispy pastries that are deep-fried and sprinkled with icing sugar. They originate from the frictilia, that ancient Romans used to fry in pork fat.

Their name, which means "lies", reminds us of the meaning of Carnival, when people can be whoever they want (from here the tradition of wearing masks and costumes) and can lie without fear of any repercussion.

Zeppole are a fritter usually filled with custard or chocolate cream. While in other parts of Italy they are consumed in occasion of Saint Joseph's day, in the province of Cuneo they are a typical Carnival pastry. 

In Mondovì, risole are also consumed during Carnival. Like bugie, risole are made of dough, but they can be either deep-fried or cooked in oven. They are of the shape of ravioli, filled with jam (usually apricot or plum jam) or chocolate, and sprinkled with icing sugar or chocolate powder. 

In occasion of the Carnival, we suggest a simple recipe to make the delicious bugie.

Ingredients

500 g of flour

one egg

a knob of butter

zest of a lemon

a pinch of salt

olive oil for frying

icing sugar to decorate 

Method

Mix all ingredients together, adding one at the time in order to obtain a smooth dough.

Roll the dough on a surface covered with some flour, until it gets about 2 cm thick. Cut out the dough into little strips, about 10 cm long and 5 cm large. 

Deep-fry until golden. Decorate with a sprinkle of icing sugar.