Sciatt are crunchy, gooey, and absolutely delicious cheese-filled buckwheat fritters from the Valtellina valley in the Lombardy region, the same area where the buckwheat pasta pizzocheri come from. Their name in dialect means toad, perhaps due to the irregularity of their shape.
To be more specific, sciatt are pancakes made with buckwheat flour and inside a cube of Valtellina Casera DOP cheese, a typical local product. They are served freshly fried, very hot, accompanied by a fresh chicory salad, and are usually considered an appetizer.
Buckwheat, since 1600 in Valtellina
That it is an ancient grain is beyond doubt. The first evidence of its presence in the Valtellina valleys dates back to 1616. Buckwheat was cultivated in the countryside above Sondrio until the mid-1900s and was then almost completely abandoned. Its name has two possible origins: it is thought to have been imported into Italy by the Saracens, or alternatively, the name relates to the dark color of its grains. The color of the flour grains does indeed tend to be grey with dark dots, a result of grain coating. On the palate, it has a more pungent taste than white flour and a “coarser” texture. Today it’s a much-valued product and is used to prepare dishes that are now part of Valtellina tradition: sciatt, pizzoccheri, and polenta taragna.
Casera DOP cheese
The other fundamental ingredient of the sciatt is Casera DOP, which together with Bitto is the Valtellina cheese that has acquired the Protected Designation of Origin. It's a semi-fat, streamed cheese, with a thin pale yellow rind. It ages for at least 180 days and has a slight scent of dried fruit.
Authentic sciatt recipe
Ingredients:
200 g buckwheat flour
100 g flour
salt
10 g grappa
35 ml beer
250 g Casera cheese
1 pinch of bicarbonate
chicory to accompany
extra virgin olive oil for frying
Method:
Combine the two flours in a bowl, add the beer, salt, a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, and grappa. Mix until the mixture is smooth, soft, and not too runny. Let it rest for 1 hour and a half then add the Casera cheese cut into 2 cm squares.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan and then with a spoon take a knob of dough (making sure that each ball contains a cube of cheese) and fry the sciatt for a few minutes until they are golden brown.
Take them out of the oil, dry them on a plate with absorbent paper, and then serve on a bed of fresh chicory, seasoned with oil and salt.
Our 5 tips to have amazing sciatt in the photo gallery!