March 19, Saint Joseph’s Day, is Father’s Day in Italy. Zeppole are the most representative pastry around the world, and while they’re enjoyed around the peninsula, other regions have their own specialties. Here’s a look at the beloved pastry plus eight lesser-known traditions.
It started with nuns
As mentioned, the most famous is undoubtedly Neapolitan Zeppole di San Giuseppe, prepared with a mixture of eggs, butter, sugar, flour, water, and lemon, then fried and enriched with custard and candied cherries. There’s also a baked version.
The pastry is rooted in the Roman festival of Liberalia, which was celebrated on March 17 in honor of Bacchus and Silenus, the gods of wine and wheat. To pay homage to them, Romans threw a festival for which prepared wheat pancakes and the wine flowed freely. This is probably one of the many "purification rites" at the beginning of the agricultural season.
Neapolitan zeppole are said to have been created by nuns, like pretty much every Neapolitan Christmas sweets as well as the famous pastiera. One account says the sisters from San Gregorio Armeno created them. The earliest mention dates back to 1837 and is attributed to Neapolitan gastronome Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino.
The frittellaro of Rome
Cauliflower fritters or pancakes prepared in Rome, Lazio, and Umbria also originate from the pagan Liberalia festivities. At the Church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami al Foro, the Brotherhood of the Carpenters (Saint Joseph’s profession) organized solemn celebrations and banquets where pancakes and cream puffs were served. Romans still refer to the holiday as “San Giuseppe frittellaro,” and they eat beignets named as such.
Tortelli from Lombardy ...
The Lombards enjoy tortelli di San Giuseppe. These cousins of the Roman fritters are simple balls made from a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, yeast, and milk that are fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
… and the Bolognese ravioli
In Bologna, Father's Day is marked by ravioli di San Giuseppe, a sweet ravioli prepared with a butter-rich, shortcrust-like dough that’s filled with jam or Bolognese mostarda, a sweet condiment comprised of quinces, pears, oranges, sugar, and just a pinch of mustard. Fried food disappears.
Once upon a time, in fact, “braids” of San Giuseppe ravioli adorned the hedges between the towns of Trebbo di Castelmaggiore and Fiesso di Castenaso. This indicated the end of winter and the time to get back to work in the fields. Of course, everyone could help themselves to the ravioli.
Rice fritters
The Tuscans celebrate Saint Joseph with rice fritters, which are prepared by boiling water, rice, milk, and lemon zest, with the subsequent addition of sugar. Once dried, the mixture rises overnight, after which it is enriched with yolks, raisins, liqueur, vanilla, and yeast. They’re rolled into balls then fried. Derived from the Roman pancake, the rice fritters are popular around Tuscany, Siena in particular. Their first mention dates back to the 15th century in Martino da Como's Libro de arte coquinaria.
The Salento tables
In Salento, Apulians celebrate Saint Joseph with a huge banquet: the Table of San Giuseppe. At least three diners, to represent the Holy Family, must be invited, and the guest list maxes out at 13, a nod to the Last Supper. According to tradition, 13 dishes are prepared for each saint, for a total of 169 dishes. The most emblematic dishes are ciciri (pasta and chickpeas), but also pasta with honey and, in keeping with the fried theme, fried fish.
Fava cream
Fava beans also feature prominently on the Salento table. In a cream form dressed with garlic, onion, and extra-virgin olive oil and accompanied by wild chicory Reggio zeppole is called zippuli ca'ricotta, and they’re prepared with flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lard, and stuffed with ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, and powdered sugar.
The Sicilian version
In Sicily, zeppole are prepared with a mixture of flour, rice, orange, honey, and powdered sugar. They have a cylindrical shape and are fried and then covered with orange honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
The indulgent sfince
In addition to the zeppole, Sicilians also enjoy the sfince di San Giuseppe. They’re similar to Neapolitan zeppole but contain a cream made from sheep ricotta, sugar, and dark chocolate chips, similar to that of cannoli. The sfince are fried in lard and then decorated with chopped pistachios, orange peel, and candied cherries.