How to spot real gelato

Reading this thread, mi è venuto un certo languorino. Lol. Italian kitchen is the best.

Angela said:

By us, the thickness varies depending on the place. I suppose that makes sense given we're sort of a border region, neither fish nor foul.

I like it thin and crispy too. This is from the Cinque Terre:

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Based on that pic it seems more similar to the Tuscan version. In Genoa, and in neighboring municipalities, is more similar to the first pic you've posted.

Angela said:

My real passion in terms of bread is sgabei, our fried bread. I've never seen it further down into Toscana.

I don't know how I come back thinner after three or four weeks in Italy.

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I'm not expert, Sgabeo seems very similar to the Emilian gnocco fritto, and it makes sense an Emilian influence in Lunigiana. Emilians eat gnocco fritto with slices of salami and ham and red wine, and they consider it a salty snack.

In Tuscany as a salty snack is mostly findable in Massa-Carrara and Lucchesia, while in the rest of Tuscany is usually a sweet snack with sugar (pane fritto dolce?), except a local version in Arezzo that is called ciaccia fritta, but not so similar to sgabei.

But being a basic recipe very simple, the dough to make bread left over to grandmothers and that was fried, it may have many variants.

In southern Italy the most similar recipe comes to my mind are panzerotti, salty snacks who have many variants and made with the same dough used for pizza, and pizza fritta that is likely a more recent dish.

In Italy, the so-called finger food (and street food) is becoming very popular in recent years, which are often Italian regional recipes that are not included in the restaurant menus. So Italian finger food shows are becoming more and more frequent, great spaces in which you can eat finger food from all over Italy, from the Alps to Sicily.

Pax Augusta said:

Based on that pic it seems more similar to the Tuscan version. In Genoa, and in neighboring municipalities, is more similar to the first pic you've posted.



I'm not expert, Sgabeo seems very similar to the Emilian gnocco fritto, and it makes sense an Emilian influence in Lunigiana. Emilians eat gnocco fritto with slices of salami and ham and red wine, and they consider it a salty snack.

In Tuscany as a salty snack is mostly findable in Massa-Carrara and Lucchesia, while in the rest of Tuscany is usually a sweet snack with sugar (pane fritto dolce?), except a local version in Arezzo that is called ciaccia fritta, but not so similar to sgabei.

But being a basic recipe very simple, the dough to make bread left over to grandmothers and that was fried, it may have many variants.

In southern Italy the most similar recipe comes to my mind are panzerotti, salty snacks who have many variants and made with the same dough used for pizza, and pizza fritta that is likely a more recent dish.

In Italy, the so-called finger food (and street food) is becoming very popular in recent years, which are often Italian regional recipes that are not included in the restaurant menus. So Italian finger food shows are becoming more and more frequent, great spaces in which you can eat finger food from all over Italy, from the Alps to Sicily.

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Yes, it's Emilian in origin, I think. Meals in the Lunigiana often include it, but also as you say it's great on its own or with different types of pork products. I'm addicted to it.

The first time I had pizza fritta was here in the U.S. at Italian street fairs. It comes sprinkled with powdered sugar. It's good, but it has a heaviness that sgabei don't have...much more soft dough in the interior. As you say, fried bread dough is made all over the world in different versions.



Some of the other favorites, besides pizza and calzones, are sausage and pepper subs. The latter is ok except it's rather a waste for me as I don't like peppers and so don't eat them. and I'm not crazy about a lot of red tomato sauce on food. The sausage is good, though.



What I do like is that they usually have a stand that sells real torrone...you know, the you need a hammer and pick to break off a piece, and then it breaks off a piece of your tooth for good measure. I hate the soft kind...too gooey, and it tastes too sweet to me.


The pastries are really good too, but only in the early part of the day, because they have cream in them, and I worry about eating them later on. Sfogliatelle may be my absolute favorite pastries in the world, especially with a nice cup of coffee.


I wish they'd get someone to set up a porchetta stand, but I doubt it will happen.

The real deal for those who don't know what it is:




It's at most of our street fairs in the Lunigiana and La Spezia, but the best I ever had was in Umbria.