These delicious fritters are made for Carnevale, which falls before Lent. The fritters made in the region Emilia, where Terry, my wife was born, are called crostoli, while in Tuscany, where her maternal parents were born, they are called cenci fritti- meaning fried rags. In Rome they are called frappe, and in Lombardy they are called  chiacchere – meaning “chats “. In other parts of Italy they are knows as bugie – lies.  

My wife’s mother, la signora Danila, made these fritters every time she came to the United States to visit. She made them in large quantities and all the family enjoyed the tasty and delightful deep fried cookies. Now Terry makes them as good as Signora Danila used to make them. She remembers her mother saying with pride “Io son ben na’  brava dona” – meaning “I am very good at what I do” every time she made the crostoli or one of the many specialties she used to prepare for us, my family and our friends.